Sefydlu Esgob Manon fel Esgob benywaidd cyntaf Bangor
Mae’r Gwir Barchedig Ddr Manon Ceridwen James wedi’i sefydlu’n 82ain Esgob Bangor, a’r fenyw gyntaf i ddal y swydd.
Ymgasglodd pobl o bob rhan o’r esgobaeth, ynghyd â theulu a ffrindiau’r Esgob Manon, yng Nghadeirlan Bangor ar gyfer y gwasanaeth ddydd Sadwrn 19 Medi. Roedd ei sefydlu yng Nghadeirlan Bangor yn nodi dechrau ffurfiol ei gweinidogaeth gyhoeddus yn yr esgobaeth.
Daeth yr Esgob Manon i mewn drwy Ddrws y Gorllewin ar ôl curo arno deirgwaith â bagl yr esgobaeth. Cafodd ei chroesawu i’r Gadeirlan gan Bethan Evans, a oedd yn cynrychioli pobl ifanc ledled yr esgobaeth, a’i gosod yng nghadair yr esgob.
Roedd y gwasanaeth yn cynnwys emyn newydd gan y bardd Cymraeg Siôn Aled, cerddoriaeth o Bontifical Bangor canoloesol a chanu gan ddisgyblion Ysgol Llandwrog.
Yn ei phregeth, dywedodd yr Esgob Manon fod Cristnogion yn perthyn i Grist ac i’w gilydd. Dywedodd nad “bos ond cyswllt” yw esgob, a galwodd ar bobl ledled yr esgobaeth i wrando, gweddïo a chydweithio wrth iddynt wynebu penderfyniadau anodd ynghylch gweinidogaeth, adeiladau a blaenoriaethau.
“Rydyn ni’n perthyn i Gristnogion ledled y byd ac ar hyd y canrifoedd. I mi, dyna yw hanfod gweinidogaeth esgob. Nid bod yn ‘fos’, ond bod yn gyswllt. Cysylltu eglwysi â’i gilydd. Cysylltu’r Eglwys heddiw ag eglwys y gorffennol ac eglwys y dyfodol.”
Siaradodd yn agored am y penderfyniadau anodd sy’n wynebu’r esgobaeth, gan gynnwys penderfyniadau am adeiladau, gweinidogaeth a blaenoriaethau. Dywedodd y byddai angen i bobl wrando ar Dduw, ymddiried yn ei gilydd a chydweithio.
“Dim ond os penderfynwn roi ein popeth i wasanaethu Duw lle’r ydym ni y bydd ein heglwys, ein hardal weinidogaeth a’n hesgobaeth yn ffynnu,” meddai.
Gwahoddodd yr Esgob Manon bobl i ymuno â hi mewn gweddi bob bore am 8.30am, ble bynnag y maent. Bryd hynny, bydd hi’n gweddïo am “ddoethineb a dirnadaeth” yng nghapel Tŷ’r Esgob.
Daeth â’i phregeth i ben drwy ddweud: “Cariad yw ein DNA. Gwasanaethu yw ein galwad. Nid mewn unrhyw un eglwys, offeiriad na hyd yn oed esgob y mae ein nerth, ond yng Nghrist sy’n ein clymu wrth ein gilydd. Rydyn ni’n perthyn i’n gilydd. Rydyn ni’n perthyn i Grist. A gyda’n gilydd, yng Nghrist, rydyn ni’n gryfach.”
Pregethodd yr Esgob Manon yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg. Mae bod yn Eglwys ddwyieithog yn bwysig i’r esgob newydd, sydd wedi siarad am yr her o roi lle priodol i’r Gymraeg wrth wasanaethu cymunedau yn y ddwy iaith.
Wrth siarad yn ddiweddar ar BBC Radio Cymru, dywedodd fod mentoriaid, gan gynnwys Cynthia a Saunders Davies, wedi ei helpu i ddeall sut i fod yn “eglwyswraig ac yn Gymraes”.
Meddai, "Mewn eglwys sydd yn ceisio gwasanaethu pob cymuned yn y ddwy iaith mae'n anodd weithiau blaenoriaethu'r Gymraeg ond diolch i bobl fel Cynthia a Saunders Davies rwyf wedi bod yn ffodus iawn o gael mentoriaid sy wedi fy helpu i wybod sut i fod yn eglwyswraig ac yn Gymraes."
Mae’r Esgob Manon hefyd yn un o gefnogwyr Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam. Ar ôl y gwasanaeth, rhoddodd yr esgobaeth grys pêl-droed Wrecsam iddi, gyda “Esgob” a’r rhif 1 ar y cefn.
Pregeth Esgob Manon
Pwy ydach chi felly?
So who are you?
Or even.....Who do you think you are?
In my wardrobe at home I have a DNA test that Dylan gave me for Christmas. I don't know why I haven't got around to doing it yet. Perhaps it's because I know that as soon as I send it away, I'll become completely impatient waiting for the results.
It's not that I'm expecting any great surprises!
In fact, perhaps if I'd actually done the DNA test, I could have brought the results with me today and handed them to Bethan at the beginning of the service. Because she asked me a very important question:
"Who are you and why have you come to this Cathedral?"
"Pwy ydych chi a phaham yr ydych wedi dod i'r Gadeirlan hon?"
Of course, it's a serious question. But we all know it is also part of the drama of the liturgy. I have to knock on the door and ask to be admitted.
Don’t tell anyone but an hour earlier I came in through the back door and got robed in the vestry!
Pwy ydach chi felly? Pwy ydw i?
Who are you? Who am I?
When I was Vicar in Dyffryn Ogwen, we had a much-loved, and slightly feared, Reader called Mair. Mair knew everybody in Llanllechid and Rachub, and I suspect most of Arfon as well, having been a teacher as well as Reader and member of the community.
Whenever someone new arrived at church, she would ask them: who are you.
"Pwy ydach chi felly?"
But what she really meant was:
"I bwy ydach chi'n perthyn?"
Who are you related to?
I’r person eu hunain roedd o bob amser yn shock derbyn ryw fath o interrogation. Ond roedd hi eisiau gwybod sut roedd y person yn ffitio i mewn i’w darlun hi o gymdeithas gogledd Cymru. Pwy oedd yn perthyn i bwy. Ac felly, mewn gwirionedd, nid cwestiwn am hunaniaeth oedd o, ond cwestiwn am berthyn.
Not "Who are you?"
But "Who do you belong to?"
And that, I think, is exactly the question our readings ask us today.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven as a field with treasure or a pearl which we will sell everything for.
Now, if you know me at all, you'll know that I'm rather keen on football. Some of my students at St Padarn's used to play football bingo during my lectures because football illustrations appeared so often.
Perhaps in a new ministry I can start again with a clean sheet!
But this Gospel always reminds me of the Liverpool motto: "This Means More."
Because Jesus goes further than that. He says the kingdom is not something that means more. It is something worth everything.
Something for which we would gladly sell all we have.
As the hymn says:
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Another football motto comes to mind when we read the passage from Corinthians. The Welsh team motto Together Stronger.
Gyda'n gilydd yn gryfach.
Motto tîm pêl-droed Cymru.
A hefyd, mewn ffordd, motto Sant Paul.
Because in Corinthians Paul tells us that we are to be so united, so connected that we are like a body. You can’t be more connected to something than a finger is connected to a hand, or a leg to a hip.
Mae'n amhosibl i'r rhannau hynny fyw ar wahân.
Ac felly dylai hi fod gyda'r Eglwys. Mae amrywiaeth yn cyfoethogi yr Eglwys.
Different gifts. Different callings. Different opinions.
Different traditions.
But one body. One God. One Spirit. One mission.
And not simply one denomination or one diocese.
We belong to Christians across the world and across the centuries.
That, for me, is what the ministry of a bishop is about.
Not being a “boss” but being a connector. Connecting churches to one another.
Connecting the Church today to the church of the past and the church of the future.
Gweinidogaeth felly o wrando, cyd-gerdded a chyd-dysgu.
A chofiwch fy atgoffa o hynny os dwi yn dechrau cymryd fy hun yn rhy o ddifri!
But it’s not just about one role. We are connected to one another. We belong to one another. Rydan ni’n perthyn i’n gilydd.
We have, together, some difficult decisions to make. We won’t agree, because not every one of the few thousand people who attend churches across the diocese think the same. We will need everyone’s wisdom and insight, even if they are contradictory. But we will need to pull together. Because we face all kinds of pressures. For example, what’s coming in each Sunday on the plate is very far from what can sustain paid ministry. While we can dip into our reserves for a while, as we have been doing, we can’t do it for ever.
So we will need to listen to what God is saying to us, and together make difficult decisions about buildings, ministry and priorities.
We will have to listen to one another and trust one another as well as work together. It’s not just about my ministry, my church, my project but what is best for the ministry and mission of God, the one which we all share.
A friend of mine is often quoting the saying:
"No one is coming to save you."
Our church, our ministry area, our diocese will only flourish if we make a decision to give our all to serving God where we are. I’ll do what I can, II’ll work as hard as I possibly can, I’ll come to churches up and down the diocese, and stick my hat on and listen and talk and connect. But our only saviour is Jesus, not a church minister, or committee, or even Bangor, or even Cardiff....No one is coming. Because if our churches are to flourish, it will be because ordinary Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, are willing to give their time, their gifts, their energy and their love as so many of you are doing. But we need more!
We will only flourish because you and your fellow Christians decide that the pearl of great price is worth everything.
Every morning at 8.30 I shall be praying in the chapel at Ty'r Esgob. Please join me to pray for wisdom and insight wherever you are at 8.30am.
Hoffwn eich gwahodd chi i ymuno â mi mewn gweddi, ble bynnag y byddwch.
I weddïo dros y byd, a dros y rhai sydd mewn poen.
Dros y rhai sy'n galaru.
Dros ein cymunedau.
Dros ein heglwysi.
A hefyd i weddïo am ddoethineb wrth inni wynebu'r penderfyniadau sydd o'n blaenau.
Heddiw rydym yn dechrau taith newydd gyda'n gilydd.
Taith o wrando ar Dduw.
Taith o wrando ar ein gilydd.
Taith o ddysgu eto beth mae'n ei olygu i berthyn.
So who are you then?
Who am I?
We are those who belong to Jesus Christ.
Our DNA is love,
Our calling is service.
Ein DNA ni yw cariad.
Ein galwad yw gwasanaeth.
Our strength is not in any one church, priest or even bishop, but in Christ who binds us together.
We belong to one another.
Rydym yn aelodau o un corff.
We belong to Christ.
And together, in Christ, we are stronger.
Gyda'n gilydd yn gryfach. Amen
Yn enw'r Duw byw, yn Dad, Mab ac Ysbryd Glân. Amen.
Bishop Manon installed as first woman Bishop of Bangor
The Rt Revd Dr Manon Ceridwen James has been installed as the first woman Bishop of Bangor and 82nd Bishop of Bangor.
People from across the diocese gathered alongside Bishop Manon's family and friends at Bangor Cathedral for the service on Saturday 19 September. Her installation at Bangor Cathedral marked the formal beginning of her public ministry in the diocese.
Bishop Manon entered through the West Door after striking it three times with the diocesan crozier. She was welcomed into the Cathedral by Bethan Evans, representing young people across the diocese, and placed in the bishop’s seat.
The service included a new hymn written by Welsh poet Siôn Aled, music from the medieval Bangor Pontifical and singing by pupils from Ysgol Llandwrog.
In her sermon, Bishop Manon said Christians belong to Christ and to one another. She described a bishop as “not a boss but a connector” and called on people across the diocese to listen, pray and work together as they face difficult decisions about ministry, buildings and priorities.
"We belong to Christians across the world and across the centuries. That, for me, is what the ministry of a bishop is about. Not being a “boss” but being a connector. Connecting churches to one another. Connecting the Church today to the church of the past and the church of the future."
She spoke honestly about the difficult decisions facing the diocese, including decisions about buildings, ministry and priorities. She said people would need to listen to God, trust one another and work together.
“Our church, our ministry area, our diocese will only flourish if we make a decision to give our all to serving God where we are,” she said.
Bishop Manon invited people to join her in prayer each morning at 8.30am, wherever they are. She will be praying for "wisdom and insight" at that time in the chapel at Tŷ’r Esgob.
She ended her sermon by saying, “Our DNA is love. Our calling is service. Our strength is not in any one church, priest or even bishop, but in Christ who binds us together. We belong to one another. We belong to Christ. And together, in Christ, we are stronger.”
Bishop Manon preached in both Welsh and English. A bilingual Church is important to the new bishop, who has spoken about the challenge of giving Welsh its proper place while serving communities in both languages.
Speaking recently on BBC Radio Cymru's Caniadaeth y Cysegr, she said mentors including Cynthia and Saunders Davies had helped her understand how to be both “a churchwoman and a Welshwoman”.
"In a Church that seeks to serve every community in both languages, it can sometimes be difficult to prioritise Welsh. But thanks to people such as Cynthia and Saunders Davies, I have been fortunate to have mentors who have helped me understand what it means to be both a churchwoman and a Welshwoman.
Bishop Manon is also a Wrexham AFC supporter. After the service, she was given a Wrexham football shirt by the diocese, with “Esgob” and the number 1 on the back.
Bishop Manon's sermon
Pwy ydach chi felly?
So who are you?
Or even.....Who do you think you are?
In my wardrobe at home I have a DNA test that Dylan gave me for Christmas. I don't know why I haven't got around to doing it yet. Perhaps it's because I know that as soon as I send it away, I'll become completely impatient waiting for the results.
It's not that I'm expecting any great surprises!
In fact, perhaps if I'd actually done the DNA test, I could have brought the results with me today and handed them to Bethan at the beginning of the service. Because she asked me a very important question:
"Who are you and why have you come to this Cathedral?"
"Pwy ydych chi a phaham yr ydych wedi dod i'r Gadeirlan hon?"
Of course, it's a serious question. But we all know it is also part of the drama of the liturgy. I have to knock on the door and ask to be admitted.
Don’t tell anyone but an hour earlier I came in through the back door and got robed in the vestry!
Pwy ydach chi felly? Pwy ydw i?
Who are you? Who am I?
When I was Vicar in Dyffryn Ogwen, we had a much-loved, and slightly feared, Reader called Mair. Mair knew everybody in Llanllechid and Rachub, and I suspect most of Arfon as well, having been a teacher as well as Reader and member of the community.
Whenever someone new arrived at church, she would ask them: who are you.
"Pwy ydach chi felly?"
But what she really meant was:
"I bwy ydach chi'n perthyn?"
Who are you related to?
I’r person eu hunain roedd o bob amser yn shock derbyn ryw fath o interrogation. Ond roedd hi eisiau gwybod sut roedd y person yn ffitio i mewn i’w darlun hi o gymdeithas gogledd Cymru. Pwy oedd yn perthyn i bwy. Ac felly, mewn gwirionedd, nid cwestiwn am hunaniaeth oedd o, ond cwestiwn am berthyn.
Not "Who are you?"
But "Who do you belong to?"
And that, I think, is exactly the question our readings ask us today.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven as a field with treasure or a pearl which we will sell everything for.
Now, if you know me at all, you'll know that I'm rather keen on football. Some of my students at St Padarn's used to play football bingo during my lectures because football illustrations appeared so often.
Perhaps in a new ministry I can start again with a clean sheet!
But this Gospel always reminds me of the Liverpool motto: "This Means More."
Because Jesus goes further than that. He says the kingdom is not something that means more. It is something worth everything.
Something for which we would gladly sell all we have.
As the hymn says:
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Another football motto comes to mind when we read the passage from Corinthians. The Welsh team motto Together Stronger.
Gyda'n gilydd yn gryfach.
Motto tîm pêl-droed Cymru.
A hefyd, mewn ffordd, motto Sant Paul.
Because in Corinthians Paul tells us that we are to be so united, so connected that we are like a body. You can’t be more connected to something than a finger is connected to a hand, or a leg to a hip.
Mae'n amhosibl i'r rhannau hynny fyw ar wahân.
Ac felly dylai hi fod gyda'r Eglwys. Mae amrywiaeth yn cyfoethogi yr Eglwys.
Different gifts. Different callings. Different opinions.
Different traditions.
But one body. One God. One Spirit. One mission.
And not simply one denomination or one diocese.
We belong to Christians across the world and across the centuries.
That, for me, is what the ministry of a bishop is about.
Not being a “boss” but being a connector. Connecting churches to one another.
Connecting the Church today to the church of the past and the church of the future.
Gweinidogaeth felly o wrando, cyd-gerdded a chyd-dysgu.
A chofiwch fy atgoffa o hynny os dwi yn dechrau cymryd fy hun yn rhy o ddifri!
But it’s not just about one role. We are connected to one another. We belong to one another. Rydan ni’n perthyn i’n gilydd.
We have, together, some difficult decisions to make. We won’t agree, because not every one of the few thousand people who attend churches across the diocese think the same. We will need everyone’s wisdom and insight, even if they are contradictory. But we will need to pull together. Because we face all kinds of pressures. For example, what’s coming in each Sunday on the plate is very far from what can sustain paid ministry. While we can dip into our reserves for a while, as we have been doing, we can’t do it for ever.
So we will need to listen to what God is saying to us, and together make difficult decisions about buildings, ministry and priorities.
We will have to listen to one another and trust one another as well as work together. It’s not just about my ministry, my church, my project but what is best for the ministry and mission of God, the one which we all share.
A friend of mine is often quoting the saying:
"No one is coming to save you."
Our church, our ministry area, our diocese will only flourish if we make a decision to give our all to serving God where we are. I’ll do what I can, II’ll work as hard as I possibly can, I’ll come to churches up and down the diocese, and stick my hat on and listen and talk and connect. But our only saviour is Jesus, not a church minister, or committee, or even Bangor, or even Cardiff....No one is coming. Because if our churches are to flourish, it will be because ordinary Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, are willing to give their time, their gifts, their energy and their love as so many of you are doing. But we need more!
We will only flourish because you and your fellow Christians decide that the pearl of great price is worth everything.
Every morning at 8.30 I shall be praying in the chapel at Ty'r Esgob. Please join me to pray for wisdom and insight wherever you are at 8.30am.
Hoffwn eich gwahodd chi i ymuno â mi mewn gweddi, ble bynnag y byddwch.
I weddïo dros y byd, a dros y rhai sydd mewn poen.
Dros y rhai sy'n galaru.
Dros ein cymunedau.
Dros ein heglwysi.
A hefyd i weddïo am ddoethineb wrth inni wynebu'r penderfyniadau sydd o'n blaenau.
Heddiw rydym yn dechrau taith newydd gyda'n gilydd.
Taith o wrando ar Dduw.
Taith o wrando ar ein gilydd.
Taith o ddysgu eto beth mae'n ei olygu i berthyn.
So who are you then?
Who am I?
We are those who belong to Jesus Christ.
Our DNA is love,
Our calling is service.
Ein DNA ni yw cariad.
Ein galwad yw gwasanaeth.
Our strength is not in any one church, priest or even bishop, but in Christ who binds us together.
We belong to one another.
Rydym yn aelodau o un corff.
We belong to Christ.
And together, in Christ, we are stronger.
Gyda'n gilydd yn gryfach. Amen
Yn enw'r Duw byw, yn Dad, Mab ac Ysbryd Glân. Amen.