On Tuesday 18th February at 7:00pm, a large congregation will gather at the ancient church of St. Michael’s in Michaelston-y-Fedw to witness the Collation and Induction of the Reverend Dean Aaron Roberts as Rector of Bedwas, Machen and Michaelston-y-Fedw, and Vicar of Rudry.

Dean first came to the parishes in 2014 when he started his training for Ordained Ministry. In 2016 he was ordained by Bishop Richard Pain and was given a license to serve as Curate. He will now become the Rector & Vicar after the retirement of the Reverend Peter Crocker in early 2019.

Along with parishioners, MPs, Local Community Councillors, Headteachers, and other community and church leaders from the area will come to take part in the service presided over by the Right Reverend Cherry Vann, the newly consecrated and enthroned Bishop of Monmouth.

During the service, Dean will be presented to the Bishop by the Churchwardens and the Area Dean (a senior minister with additional responsibilities in the local area). After being presented, the Bishop will ask Dean a series of questions that he may declare his commitment to the parishes and to the historic Christian faith as the Anglican Church has received it.

After this has taken place, the Bishop will give a license to Dean – a legal document which gives Dean the status of Rector and Vicar. He will then be anointed with oil and blessed, along with the ministry team who will be assisting Dean in his duties. This part of the service is known as the “Collation”.

Dean will then be “Inducted” by the Archdeacon, who will formally give possession of the Benefice (the group of parishes) to him, symbolised by the handing over of the Church Keys, and placing him in the Rector’s Stall of St. Michael’s Church.

After the Collation and Induction, members of the churches will present Dean with the symbols of his ministry, and all gathered will be reminded of their call, as Christians, to follow Jesus and make him known in the world through their words and deeds. The service will mark a new sphere of ministry in the life of not only Dean, but of the life of these parishes.

A buffet will follow the service to mark this very special celebration in the life of our churches.

For those unable to get tickets for the event, and those unable to make the service due to distance, a live stream of the service will be provided by the village internet company, MyFi, who masterminded a plan which saw Michaelston-y-Fedw become the first village in Wales to have super fast broadband.

Any who wish to watch the live stream will be able to do so by clicking this link. Those who are on Facebook will be able to watch the live stream from any of the church Facebook Pages.

Dean says,

“I am very much looking forward to becoming the Rector and Vicar of these parishes, who all have such amazing potential for growth as they draw deeper into their relationship with Jesus and with one another. Our area has diverse challenges and opportunities, and I hope that my tenure here will be one that is marked by a spiritual re-awakening as we take bold steps to rely on God’s grace and the gifting of his Spirit to us, that we may proclaim the gospel afresh in this new chapter of the life of the parishes. I am aware that these parishes will now fall into my care. It’s a high calling, and I am only human. I hope to be a people-person, down to earth and approachable, who can live authentically as a follower of Jesus, and lead by example. I will make many mistakes, yet I hope and pray that God will use even my mistakes to bring growth to these churches. Pray for me that I will lead with conviction and humility, and that I will persevere and continue to be faithful to the faith I will gladly reaffirm and assent to at the service”.

ENDS.