St Aloysius R C Primary School

The area known as the ‘Welsh Province’, which comprises of Wales and Herefordshire, has a long history of Christianity. The martyrdom of Ss. Alban, Julius and Aaron is the first landmark in our Christian history in Britain. It is probable that they were put to death in the persecution of Valeriam (257-259). It is believed Alban was martyred at where is now the City of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, and it is believed that Julius and Aaron were citizens of Caerleon, near to modern day Newport, and were martyred there. The Venerable Bede (672-375), following Gildas (500-570), mentions them in his Ecclesiastical History and they are to be found in the Roman Martyrology. We also know that at the Council of Arles (314) three British Bishops were present.

During these years Christianity made great strides and spread throughout the whole land until the final withdrawal of the Roman Legions in 406. While Eastern Britain eventually became England through the Anglo Saxon invasion, Wales remained steadfastly Christian, which produced many great Christian Leaders, including Ss. Illtyd, Dyfrig (d.550), David (d.589) and Teilo (d.560).

Perhaps it is St Dyfrig, also known as Dubricius and Devereux, who should be the Patron Saint of Herefordshire and South Wales. He really is our Father in Faith; he gave the strongest impulse to the vast enterprise of evangelisation of saints such as Teilo, Samson and Illtyd. Dyfrig was born in Herefordshire at Madley. His two great monasteries were at Moccas, further along the road to Bredwardine and Hay of Wye, and at Hentland, again on the banks of the Wye near Ross. He became Bishop of Ergyng, an area that more or less covered the three counties that became the Archdiocese of Cardiff in 1916. Dyfrig was said to have attended the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi in 545, where he resigned his See in favour of St David and retired to Bardsey Island, there to die.

In 597 St. Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope St. Gregory the Great to begin the conversion of the pagan English. He had two meetings with the British Bishops and Abbots. Augustine wanted the Welsh Church to amend a number of its local traditions, particularly to keep Easter according to the Roman date. The result was an excess of ill-feeling between the English and Welsh Churches which Augustine’s successor, St. Lawrence, caused in Ireland and Scotland as well. The dispute lasted until 768 when a young Welsh Bishop called Elfodd persuaded his fellow countrymen to come into line with the Roman Easter date.