The King and Queen will attend the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral, on Thursday 2 April, the first time the occasion has been held in North Wales, and only the second time ever in Wales, in its 800-year history.
During the service, The King will present the Royal Maundy gifts to approximately 77 men and 77 women mainly from Wales but also from dioceses across the UK. The Maundy Money is a symbolic gift given in recognition of recipients’ outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to the lives of people in their local communities. His Majesty will present recipients with two purses containing the unique Maundy Money. In the white purse will be a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins totalling 77 pennies, to match The King’s age, and in the Red Purse will be a £5 coin commemorating 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and a 50p coin that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust.
The Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Revd Nigel Williams, said: “We are deeply honoured to be hosting this Maundy Service. The Cathedral staff, volunteers and congregation are working hard to ensure the occasion is a memorable experience for all the recipients and guests. We look forward to welcoming Their Majesties The King and Queen, to the city, for this truly special service.”
The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron said: “The Royal Maundy honours Christ’s command that we should serve one another. This is lived out in the gifts that The King will give to the 154 people who have served their communities because of their Christian faith. It is a deeply meaningful occasion which we are pleased to welcome to St Asaph.”
This year’s Royal Maundy will recognise and honour those who have shown outstanding devotion in service to the Church and their communities and will also mark the first meeting between His Majesty The King and The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales.
The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales says “I am very much looking forward to being present alongside the women and men who will be receiving the Maundy coins this year and to see them being honoured in this way for their service to the church and their communities. To have this service taking place in Wales is a real joy and will undoubtedly be a memorable experience for all involved.”
The service this year will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians, celebrating the return of the Royal Maundy to Wales. In addition, the service will see the use of the processional Cross of Wales, a gift from His Majesty The King to the Christians of Wales. The Cross, which, headed the Procession at Westminster Abbey for his Coronation in 2023, contains a fragment of the True Cross, a gift to The King from His Holiness Pope Francis and believed to be part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
At the conclusion of the service, Their Majesties will join the Royal Maundy Party for a photograph outside the Cathedral’s West Door before meeting members of the cathedral community.
About the Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The distribution of alms and the washing of the feet on the Thursday of Holy Week are an ancient tradition.
The Royal Maundy can be traced back in England to the 13th century, with the first recorded Royal Distribution at Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, by King John in 1210. From the 15th century, the number of recipients has been related to the years of the Sovereign’s life.
The Royal Maundy Recipients are selected from Church of England dioceses, and Anglican and Ecumenical partners across the UK. This year, the Recipients have been chosen from the six dioceses in Wales (Swansea & Brecon, St. Asaph, Bangor, St. Davids, Llandaff and Monmouth) alongside four English dioceses that are close to, or border with, Wales (Chester, Hereford, Lichfield, Sodor & Man).
Each year the Monarch is assisted in distributing the Maundy Money by the Lord High Almoner, currently the Bishop of Norwich.
More information about Royal Maundy is available at www.royal.uk/royal-maundy-service.
About St Asaph Cathedral
Llanelwy – the Welsh name for St Asaph – means the sacred religious enclosure on the banks of the River Elwy. Worship is at the heart of the life and work of this ancient cathedral where prayers have been offered daily for 1,450 years.
St Asaph Cathedral is the UK’s smallest ancient Cathedral. The current building dates from the fourteenth century and is closely associated with the preservation of the Welsh language. It displays an original copy of the William Morgan Bible, which dates from 1588. William Morgan went on to become Bishop of St Asaph in 1601.
St Asaph Cathedral is one of the main heritage attractions along the A55 corridor in north Wales, and receives thousands of visitors each year both for regular services, as well as events, conferences, concerts and festivals.
St Asaph Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of St Asaph, one of the six Bishops of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.