The Friends of Llandaff Cathedral Annual Lunch for 2018 will be held at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Avenue, on Thursday 1 February. The menu will be pan-fried chicken breast accompanied by Lyonnaise potatoes and seasonal vegetables or vegetarian option, followed by rosemary panna cotta with winter berry compote and vanilla thyme shortbread, and tea or coffee. Tickets at £12 each are now available from Linda Quinn, 74 Pencisely Road, CF5 1DH. Cheques payable to Friends of Llandaff Cathedral, with SAE please. Please state any dietary requirements when booking.

On Christmas Eve at 3.30pm, the Cathedral holds its ever-popular Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols has humble beginnings. It is adapted from an order drawn up by E. W. Benson, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, for a Christmas Eve service in a wooden shed which was being used as the cathedral in Truro in 1880. The format has been made famous since it was first used at King’s College, Cambridge, in 1918. The service then found the airwaves in 1928 and, with the exception of 1930, has been broadcast every year since.

The service tells the story of Christmas through a series of readings from the Bible. It begins with the Fall of Humanity and then the earliest promises of Redemption through Jesus the Messiah. It continues highlighting the hopes of the Old Testament prophets until the birth of Christ, as told in the Gospels. As the name of the service implies, the narrative is reinforced through the singing of carols and hymns.

It is recommended to arrive early for this service.

All welcome for a free guided tour of the Cathedral on New Year’s Day, Monday 1 January, at 11am. The tour is arranged by the Friends of Llandaff Cathedral and will be led by historian Arthur Impey.

Start the New Year by discovering a building that enshrines nearly a thousand years of history, and houses the second most important art collection in Cardiff.

From cards to cribs, the Cathedral Shop is well-stocked for Christmas. Our range of Christmas cards includes a charity selection, nativity scenes and a lovely photograph of the Cathedral in the snow. The cribs come in all shapes and sizes, with compact pewter figurines and colourful pottery models on offer.

There are plenty of gift ideas in the Shop too. We have a wide selection of necklaces, earrings and cufflinks at very reasonable prices, as well as CDs, books and calendars. For children, there are beautiful illustrated books in Welsh and English, such as ‘Jesus’ Christmas Party’ and ‘Stori’r Nadolig Cyntaf’. Wrapping paper is also available, at only 10p per sheet.

Mary Madsen, Shop Manager, says, “Don’t pass us by – do pop in and have a look. You might be surprised!”

The Cathedral Shop is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and after services on a Sunday during Advent. It is situated to the right of the West Door, beneath the Pritchard Tower, and is run by a wonderful group of volunteers.

On Wednesday 20 December at 6.30pm, the Cathedral presented Olivier Messiaen’s ‘La Nativité du Seigneur’ (The Birth of the Saviour), arguably one of the most important organ works of the twentieth century. Its devotional nature is remarkably direct, for Messiaen possessed a deep-rooted faith and theological insight which gave a strongly spiritual dimension to all his work.

The music was interspersed with biblical readings, making it a special opportunity to experience the Christmas story in an atmospheric setting through words and wonderful music. The organ was be played by the Cathedral’s Director of Music, Stephen Moore, and the recital was free to attend.