On Friday 19th August, St. Mary’s Monmouth was filled with music and song, rose petals and incense, to welcome Philip Chatfield’s statue “Our Lady of the Waters.” The statue had been carried along the River Wye on a catamaran, brought by a relay of rowers from Hay-on-Wye to Monmouth, to draw attention to the high levels of pollution in the river. Philip and Father Richard Williams, an Anglican priest from Hay-on-Wye, shared their vision that the spirit of Our Lady should be invoked as a spiritual cleansing and a reminder of how badly humankind has failed in our stewardship of God’s world. The special Evensong was led by Rev’d Dan Damon, who quoted from the Canticle of the Sun attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.”

24 children came to our Wonder Zone holiday club from Monday 15th to Friday 19th August. They enjoyed experiments to help them understand God’s wonderful creation, from the Solar System to the tiniest insect. Among the children were some from Ukraine, some of the refugees who have fled the fighting in their home country. The holiday club gave them an opportunity to improve their English and meet Monmouth children before they go to mainstream school in a few days time.