St Helen – Caerphilly

Introduction

A Catholic chapel initially called All Saints was established in Senghenydd, served from Caerphilly.

History

No regular masses were held in Caerphilly until 1913, when the first resident priest, the Rev. Alfred Cuthbert Knight, was appointed. Fr Knight was followed by Breton Benedictines under the Rev. Paul Saillaur, recalled to France in 1921, when the Rev. Norbert James was appointed parish priest. Fr Alfred Winsborough succeeded Fr James in November 1930 and set about establishing a permanent church in the centre of Caerphilly. Winsborough purchased a site opposite Caerphilly Castle on Nantgarw Road, later exchanged with the Marquess of Bute for a three-acre site intended to be part of Morgan Jones Park.

Architecture and furnishings

The church was re-ordered in response to the new millennium, with first plans made in 1999. Caroline Mackenzie created oak-wood sculptures for the re-ordering, with a commission for St Helen's. A sculpture based on the Good Samaritan depicts the Samaritan as an Indian woman and the victim as a young western woman.

Parish life

The parish serves Caerphilly town and the neighbouring towns and villages of Llanbradach, Abertridw, Senghenydd, Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen. The present parish of Caerphilly includes the two previous church communities of All Souls, Senghenydd, and St Vincent, Trethomas.

The bereavement group offers support and help on behalf of the parish community through parishioners who have volunteered to do this. The parish book club started at the beginning of the pandemic and is still going strong, reviewing one book each month. The parish has a CAFOD group, the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Bereavement support groups run three times a year in March, June and October, each intended to run for 6 weeks. Saturday evening mass is celebrated with congregational singing accompanied by keyboard or organ. Sunday morning masses are accompanied on a half-termly rota by an instrumental group, organ or other groups of musicians. Children can join the choir from Year 5 upwards.

Couples preparing for marriage are asked to attend the Engaged Couple’s Course run by Marriage Care. It is the custom at St Helen’s that all music during services is ‘live’ and not pre-recorded. St Helen’s has three vocal soloists of high standard who can sing appropriate music during the signing of the register. Catholics who are sick or housebound and reside in the Caerphilly area can contact the parish office to arrange to receive Holy Communion regularly at home.

Regular events

The parish book club, started in 2020, reads and discusses a new book every month. Parents Preparation for Baptism meetings run in the parish every few months.