Trwyddedu ac Ordeinio 2021: Susan Fogarty
Dros Ŵyl Bedr eleni yng Nghadeirlan Deiniol Sant ym Mangor, cafodd 14 o bobl ymroddedig, dawnus eu hordeinio neu eu trwyddedu i weinidogaethu.
Fe’u gelwir i “adeiladu corff Crist fel y cyrhaeddwn oll hyd at yr undod a berthyn i’r ffydd ac i adnabyddiaeth o Fab Duw” (Effesiaid 4).
Dyna’u tasg ar y cyd – ond mae gan bob un hefyd eu straeon personol eu hunain am alwad Duw ar eu bywydau.
Yma, cawn sgwrs â Susan am ei galwedigaeth fel Gweinidog Arloesol.
Dywedwch ychydig wrtha’i amdanoch eich hun. Pwy ydy Susan?
Dwi weithiau’n meddwl hynny fy hun. Pa het ydw i’n ei gwisgo heddiw? Ai’r Susan a oedd mewn busnes tan yn ddiweddar ydw i? Ai’r Susan sy’n gweinidogaethu? Ai’r Susan sy’n gyfarwyddwr Cymdeithas R. S. Thomas?
Ond yn fwy o ddifrif, y lle ydw i ar hyn o bryd, dwi’n mynd i gael fy nhrwyddedu fel Gweinidog Arloesol a bu yna rywbeth o’r elfen ‘arloesol’ honno drwy gydol fy mywyd. Mewn cymuned dosbarth gweithiol mae fy nghefndir. Roedd fy nhad yn löwr, fy mam yn wraig ginio mewn ysgol. Pan oeddwn yn ddeunaw oed, rhedais oddi cartref, fwy neu lai, i ‘oleuadau llachar’ Rochdale i ddechrau busnes peirianyddol. Lle bynnag dwi wedi bod mewn bywyd dwi wedi bwrw ymlaen yn llawn egni efo’r hyn rôn i’n ei wneud.
Pa un ydi’ch hoff fisgeden?
Dyna gwestiwn hawdd! Bara ceirch gyda gwraidd sinsir, efo caws glas meddal ar ei ben, a gwydraid o win coch.
A ydy ffydd bob amser wedi bod yn rhan o’ch bywyd?
Mi ges i fy magu yn yr Eglwys Gatholig, yna yn fy arddegau, mi roddais i’r gorau i bopeth i wneud â fy ffydd, crefydd a Duw. Ond pan oeddwn yn dri deg mi ges i fab a gafodd ei eni cyn pryd a dim ond am ugain diwrnod fuodd o gynnon ni. Roedd hynny’n drawma enfawr i fynd drwyddo. Ceisiodd fy mhersonoliaeth arloesol barhau i wthio drwodd ond yn y diwedd mi wnes i daro yn erbyn wal frics ac mi dorrais i lawr. Dyna’r peth cyntaf a ddangosodd i mi go iawn fod mwy i fywyd na dim ond yr hyn sydd gennych yn eich calon, yn eich gyrru ymlaen, mwy na dim ond defnyddio eich deallusrwydd – fod yna ddimensiwn ysbrydol hefyd. Dyna oedd llaw iachusol Duw arnaf ac mi lwyddais i godi allan o hynny. Ac yna roeddwn i’n ôl ar fy llwybr mewn bywyd ond roedd mwy a mwy o brofiadau o Dduw fel petai’n ceisio denu fy sylw a finnau’n meddwl "Waw, ia, mae hynny’n wych, ond mae’n rhaid i mi fynd ymlaen rŵan a gwneud..." Wedi i mi symud i Ben Llŷn cefais wahoddiad gan ffrind o’m dosbarth Cymraeg i fynd i’r eglwys. Yna aeth y ddwy ohonom i aros yn Enlli ac roedd hynny’n brofiad mor ddwys. Roeddwn i’n chwilio efo calon a meddwl agored ac yn meddwl y gallai rhywbeth ddigwydd ond wnaeth o ddim digwydd fel roeddwn i’n disgwyl iddo. Doedd dim llais o’r nefoedd, roedd yn llythrennol yn brofiad o deimlo ‘sylfaen fy modolaeth’ yn codi drwydda’ i. Gwyddwn bryd hynny fod yn rhaid imi gymryd hyn fwy o ddifrif.
Sut ydych chi wedi mynd o’r profiad hwnnw i’ch sefyllfa chi heddiw?
Y peth mawr nesaf a ddigwyddodd oedd i’r Parchg Jim Cotter ddod yn ficer Aberdaron. Byddai rhyw em ym mhob un o’i bregethau, a byddai hynny’n aros efo fi drwy’r wythnos. Mi luniodd o gasgliad newydd o gerddi gan R. S. Thomas ac roedd o ar fin lansio’r llyfr ond mi gafodd ddiagnosis o lewcemia cronig a bu’n rhaid iddo gamu’n ôl o’r weinidogaeth. Mi gynigiais i ddarllen ychydig o gerddi, a chefais fy ysbrydoli i droi hynny’n fyfyrdod gweddigar o amgylch Eglwys Hywyn Sant, ac roedd eraill yn ystyried hynny’n weinidogaeth. Mi wnes i etifeddu mantell Jim i hyrwyddo barddoniaeth R. S. Thomas.
A oes unrhyw beth penodol am gael eich trwyddedu sy’n eich cyffroi?
Galluogi eraill i wneud pethau. Mi ges i f’ysbrydoli pan es i eglwys Fethodistaidd ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl o weld dynion a merched lleyg ‘cyffredin’ yn gweithio gyda’r Ysbryd, gyda Duw a chyda’i gilydd i arwain gwasanaethau. Rhoddodd hynny weledigaeth imi o’r hyn y gallen ni ei gael yn yr Eglwys yng Nghymru. Dyna pryd ges i’r sgyrsiau â phobl eraill ynglŷn ag arwain gwasanaethau ac felly mi ges fy nghomisiynu i wneud hynny. Yn ddiweddar, roeddwn wrth fy modd gweld rhywun na fyddai wedi cynnig arwain gwasanaeth o’r blaen yn cyflwyno ei hun i wneud hynny. Roedd hynny oherwydd iddi fy ngweld ‘fyny fan’na’ a wedyn meddwl "Os gall Susan ei wneud o, mi alla i!"
Hefyd mae’r gallu i adeiladu pontydd â’r gymuned leol. Dydy o ddim yn hawdd, mae’n dal yn waith caled. Rwy’n cael boddhad mawr ohono ac mae’n rhoi gobaith i mi ar gyfer y dyfodol ynglŷn â sut y gallwn ddenu pobl i mewn.
Beth mae eich ffydd yn ei olygu i chi rŵan o’i gymharu â’r adeg wnaethoch chi daflu ffydd i ffwrdd?
Dydy o i gyd ddim yn dibynnu arna’ i. "Dydy Duw ddim am i ni fod yn beilotiaid solo." Mater ydy o o finnau’n gweithio mewn perthynas â Duw ac eraill yng nghymuned yr Eglwys, yr ymdeimlad o ryfeddod sy’n dod efo hynny. Mae ’na ymdeimlad o fod yn ‘afon Duw’, bod yn y llif – dwi’n gallu gwneud cymaint mwy nag y gallwn i erioed fod wedi ei ddychmygu.
Erbyn hyn mae ymdeimlad bod Duw yno, o ’mlaen i, ac mae pethau’n disgyn i’w lle i’m galluogi i wneud o.
Pe byddai rhywun arall yn meddwl am gyflwyno eu hunain ar gyfer Eglwys Dduw beth tybed fyddech chi’n ei ddweud wrthyn nhw?
Mi allwch chi ei wneud o! Os gallaf fi ei wneud, gallwch chi ei wneud, dewch ymlaen! Byddwn hefyd yn eu sicrhau y bydden nhw’n cael cefnogaeth lawn gan eraill yn y weinidogaeth.
Hollalluog a thragwyddol Dduw, sydd trwy dy Ysbryd yn llywodraethu ac yn sancteiddio holl gorff yr Eglwys: gwrando ein gweddi a offrymwn dros dy holl bobl ffyddlon, iddynt allu dy wasanaethu mewn sancteiddrwydd a gwirionedd yn eu galwedigaeth a’u gweinidogaeth er gogoniant i’th enw; trwy ein Harglwydd a’n Hiachawdwr Iesu Grist, sy’n fyw ac yn teyrnasu gyda thi a’r Ysbryd Glân, yn un Duw, yn awr ac am byth. Amen.
Licensing and Ordinations 2021: Susan Fogarty
This Petertide at St Deiniol's Cathedral in Bangor, 14 dedicated, gifted people were ordained or licensed for ministry.
They are called to “build up the body of Christ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4).
That is their common task – but each also have their own personal stories about God’s call on their lives.
Here, we talk to Susan about her vocation as a Pioneer Minister.
Tell me a bit about yourself. Who is Susan?
I sometimes wonder that myself. Which hat have I got on today? Am I Susan who until recently was in business? Is it Susan who’s doing ministry? Is it Susan, director of the R. S. Thomas Society?
But more seriously, where I’m at at the moment, I’m going to be licensed as a Pioneer Minister and there’s been something of ‘the pioneer’ all through my life. My background is in a working class community. My father was a coalminer, my mum a dinner-lady. When I was 18 I basically ran away from home to the ‘bright lights’ of Rochdale to start an engineering business. Wherever I’ve been in life i’ve gone forward with energy for what I’m doing.
What’s your favourite biscuit?
That’s dead easy! It’s oat cakes with root ginger, topped with soft blue cheese, and a glass of red wine.
Has faith always been a part of your life?
I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, then in my teenage years I threw the baby out with the bath-water in terms of my faith, religion and God but when I was 30 I had a son who was born premature and we only had him for 20 days. That was a huge trauma to go through. My pioneering personality tried to keep pushing through and I ended up hitting a brick wall and having a breakdown. That was the first real indicator for me that there’s more to life than just what you have in your heart, driving you forward and using your intellect - there’s a spiritual dimension too. That was the healing hand of God on me and I was able to rise out from that. And then I was ‘back on track’ but there were more and more experiences of God just tapping on my shoulder and me thinking “Wow, yeah, that’s fantastic, but I’ve just got to get on and do...” After I moved to Pen Llŷn I was invited by a friend from my Welsh class to go along to church. Then we both went to stay on Bardsey and that was so profound. I was looking with an open heart and mind and thought something might happen but it didn’t happen as I expected it to. It wasn’t a voice from above, it was literally experiencing the ‘ground of my being’ rising up through me. I knew then that I had to take this more seriously.
How have you gone from that experience to where you are now?
The next major thing that happened was the Revd Jim Cotter arriving as vicar in Aberdaron. There would always be a nugget of gold in his sermon, that stayed with me through the week. He put together a new collection of poetry by R. S. Thomas and was about to launch the book but was dignosed with chronic leukemia and had to step back from ministry. I offered to read a few poems, and was inspired to make it a prayerful meditation around St Hywyn’s church, which others recognised as ministry. I picked up the baton from Jim to promote the poetry of R. S. Thomas.
Is there anything particular about being licensed that excites you?
Enabling others. I was inspired when I went to a Methodist church a few years ago to see “ordinary” lay men and women working with the Spirit, with God and together to lead services. It gave me a vision of what we could have in the Church in Wales. That’s when I had the conversations with others about leading services and so I was commissioned to do that. Recently, I was delighted that someone who wouldn’t have offered to lead a service before put herself forward. It’s because she’s seen me ‘up there’ and now thinks “If Susan can do it, I can do it!”
It’s also the ability to build bridges with the local community. It’s not easy, it’s still hard work. I find it very satisfying and it gives me hope for the future about how we can draw people in.
What does your faith mean to you now compared to having thrown it away?
It isn’t all down to me. “God doesn’t want us to fly solo.” It’s me working in relationship with God and others in the church community, the sense of wonder that comes with that. There’s a sense of being in the ‘river of God’, being in the flow – I can do so much more than I ever could have imagined.
There is now a sense that God is there, before me, and things fall into place to enable me.
If someone else was wondering about putting themselves forward for God’s Church what might you say?
You can do it! If I can do it, you can do it, come on in! I’d also assure them that they’d receive full support from others in ministry.
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.