On Sunday 29th September the Cathedral was full for Choral Evensong as we held the Inauguration of the new Greater Chapter of the Cathedral. All six Cathedrals in the Church in Wales are undergoing major restructuring of their governance and earlier in the year Bishop June appointed a new smaller Chapter which is now the Trustee Body for the Cathedral. This is chaired by the Dean and consists of four Lay Canons and four senior Priests – nine in total.

This process of change in Llandaff culminated in the formation of the new Greater Chapter which will support the Chapter (the Trustees) in what is a new era of governance in the Cathedral. The new Canons of Greater Chapter bring with them experiences from various walks of life.  As well as being an invaluable source of support to the Dean and Chapter the Greater Chapter will also act as ambassadors for the Cathedral in the City, the Diocese and beyond.

The Greater Chapter Canons are:

The three Archdeacons: the Venerable Christopher Smith, the Venerable Peggy Jackson and the Venerable Michael Komor. Seven former members of Chapter: Canon Edwin Counsell, Canon Nigel Cahill, Canon Peter Cox, Canon Stewart Lisk, Canon Philip Masson and Canon Ruth Moverley.

Twelve new members: Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas, Mr Michael Plout, the Rev’d Michael Gable, the Rev’d Michael Jones, the
Rev’d Lynda Newman, Mrs Clare Sherwood, Ms Auriol Miller, the Rev’d Elaine Jenkyns, the Rev’d Jan Gould, the Rev’d Dr Trystan Owain Hughes, Mr Mike Lawley and the Rev’d Sarah Jones.

The new Chapter (the Trustees) are also members of the Greater Chapter, which is chaired by the Dean.

The Cathedral has always been proud of its association with the Welsh Regiment and the St David Chapel which is dedicated to it. The Chapel holds various memorials to those who died in war, including a memorial stone dedicated to those who died in the Korean War. Earlier in the year Father Mark was pleased to welcome the Cultural Attaché from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea who paid homage in the Cathedral while on a visit to Cardiff.

Last week we were delighted to welcome Ms Hannah Kim, the official Ambassadress of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation in the USA. Formerly the Chief of Staff to a US Congressman, Hannah visited Wales on the final leg of a worldwide tour. Visiting over 30 countries that participated in the Korean War, Hannah has sought to preserve the stories of veterans from the War and thank them for the sacrifices made during the conflict. After visiting Welsh veterans at Maindy Barracks, Hannah visited the Cathedral to pay homage to the fallen soldiers.

Hannah said of her visit “It was the perfect ending to my visit in Wales… I was surprised and grateful when Canon Jan recognised my attendance at Evening Prayer and gave a special prayer for Korean War Veterans. I prayed for the 32 Welshmen who died in the Korean War and had the privilege of meeting Dr John Kenyon, the Cathedral Archivist who explained the background of the memorial plaque.”

You can find out more about Hannah’s journey at www.remember727.org