The order of st woolos
The Order of St Woolos was founded in January 2006 by the Bishop of Monmouth as a way of honouring lay people who have served the diocese with distinction and generosity for many years and have held positions of responsibility within the diocese.
It is perhaps appropriate that an order which honours lay people is named after someone who was not ordained. St Woolos (Gwynllyw), who settled on Stow Hill with his wife St Gwladys in the sixth century, was a local chieftain who was converted to a devout Christian life.
The founder members of the order were invested on Sunday 8th January 2006:
Speaking at the service, the bishop said:
The bible warns us against seeking honours for ourselves but also teaches us that we should thankfully acknowledge the gifts God gives to his people and their generous sharing of those gifts in the service of others. This award is a way of saying ‘Thank you’ to God and ‘Thank you’ to the six people we honour tonight.
The six founding members from l to r: Mr Nigel Williams, Mr Cyril Lomas, Mrs Rosemary Macdonald, the Bishop, Mrs Betty Smith, Sir Richard Hanbury Tenison, Mr Malcolm Thomas