A special sung votive Mass to celebrate the Welsh culture and language and its contribution to the universal Catholic Church took place in central London at St James’s, Spanish Place on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff, the Papal Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, and the Right Reverend Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, were all in attendance.
Ecumenical guests included Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Other dignitaries included the Spanish Ambassador, the Argentinian Ambassador, and the Secretary of State for Wales.
The Principal Celebrant was Fr Gildas Parry, O’Praem.
Music was provided by four Welsh Choirs and the Band of the Welsh Guards.
The Band of the Welsh Guards was formed in 1915, the same year as the Regiment. Its first instruments were presented by the City of Cardiff, enabling the band to carry out its first King’s Guard Mount on St. David’s Day in 1916.
The band had a busy start to 2020, including concerts in the Guards’ Chapel and Holy Trinity Church in Windsor. The concert in the Guards’ Chapel featured both Danny Jones, a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and West End singer Lucie Jones. The concert was a huge success and was enjoyed by all.
In March 2020, the country went into lockdown; many of the bands working practices have changed in accordance with the Government Guidelines. In June the band’s musicians, as part of the massed bands of the Household Division supported A Tribute to Her Majesty The Queen and recorded the music performed. In July, the band provided musical support for the King’s Royal Hussars, in its celebration of HRH The Princess Royal as its Regimental Colonel for 50 years.
In May and August, the country marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day. The band’s musicians, as part of The Orchestra of the Household Division took part in memorial performances in Buckingham Palace and on Horseguards Parade.
This summer, the Band of the Welsh Guards welcomed its newly appointed Bandmaster, Warrant Officer Class II Claire Lawrence and bade farewell to Warrant Officer Class II David Hatton to his new posting as Training Design Warrant Officer at Kneller Hall
Singer and broadcaster Cerys Matthews MBE, BBC News anchor Huw Edwards and Welsh broadcaster Guto Harri were all invited to the Thanksgiving Mass.
