Dom Cadfan Williams RIP

“Unless a wheat grain fall on the ground and die, it remains a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.” These are the words of Jesus proclaimed in today’s Gospel. In the next few weeks, in churches throughout the land, Christians will be giving thanks to God for his many gifts bestowed on us in the harvest. Jesus loved to compare his own life and that of his disciples to the cycle of nature, the smallest seed producing the greatest shrub, a wheat grain falling to the earth and dying in order to produce a great harvest. The last judgment and eternal life are often compared to the harvest, when God will reward with the marriage feast of the Lamb those who have used their talents well and have lived by faith in his word. The seed we bury today is Fr Cadfan and we do so knowing that his life of faith in his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has produced a rich harvest. We commend his body and soul to God at this Requiem Mass, offering the Sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of his sins and asking that he may rest in the peace of God’s Kingdom together with St Cadfan and the vast company of Saints of Bardsey Island, his spiritual companions on his journey through life.

David George Williams was born on 1st March 1937, hence David, at Warrington, the only child of Bernie and Charles. Warrington had traditionally been part of Lancashire and Cadfan was proud to be a Lancastrian, albeit of Welsh descent. He was also proud to be Welsh. His parents had him baptised at Christ Church, Latchford, when only six weeks’ old. He was educated locally and took his O levels at Lymm Grammar School, after which he studied at Manchester College of Building where he gained an Advanced Professional Diploma. Armed with that qualification, he worked as an architectural draughtsman with a private firm of architects from leaving school in 1954 until 1959. He then worked at the Borough Architect’s Department at Widnes for 10 years and a further 10 years at the City Architect’s Department in Liverpool. All this time, he practised his Anglican faith fervently, being confirmed at St Thomas’ church, Stockton Heath, in May 1954, where he was a server and subsequently a member of the P.C.C. From 1960 to 1979 he attended All Hallows, Orford, assisting there as sacristan, head server, member of the P.C.C., and as a caller and general factotum at bingo. As a child, his parents considered him to be a bit of a scamp and a rascal. You can picture him, can’t you?

For some time, David had been considering the possibility of a vocation to the monastic life, so In June 1979, he visited the Anglican Benedictine community at Nashdom Abbey. In February 1980, he entered as a novice, taking his Simple Vows on 13th February 1982. He was given the name of Brother Timothy. At Nashdom, he served, almost simultaneously, as sacristan, guest master and monk in charge of the incense factory, but he left the community in January 1985. He retained a great affection for his first monastic home and, in recent years, was able to visit a number of times with Fr Andrew. His last visit was just three weeks’ ago. On leaving Nashsdom, he moved to Colwyn Bay, attending Eglwys Dewi Sant and picking up a smattering of Welsh. He was unemployed but, for two summers, found seasonal employment as a part-time tour guide at Conway Castle. From November 1986 to February 1989, he worked as assistant warden at St Francis Retreat House in Cambridgeshire. On 11th February 1989, he was clothed again as a Benedictine novice, this time at Alton Abbey, ultimately being solemnly professed on 23rd June 1993. Here he was in charge of the altar bread department, but, yet again, he did not persevere and left the community on 27th August 1994. For some time, he had been mulling over the possibility of becoming a Catholic.

The very day he left Alton, he arrived at Belmont, where he hoped to become both a Catholic and a monk. He took instruction from Dom Timothy Ford, now a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, and was received into the Catholic Church by Dom Michael Evans on 7th December 1994. On 20th March the following year, he was given the habit by Abbot Mark Jabalé, taking the name of Cadfan, because of his great devotion to his heavenly patron and the saints of Bardsey. It was an unusual name, which people would not forget, just as they would never forget Br Cadfan once they had met him. He made his Simple Profession on St Benedict’s Day 1996 and was solemnly professed on 22nd March 1999. By that time he had begun his priestly studies at the Beda College in Rome, whilst living at Sant’Anselmo. He was ordained a deacon by Bishop Mark on 8th September 2001 and ordained a priest by Archbishop Peter Smith on 26th September 2002. At Belmont we make neither incense nor altar bread, so he had to content himself with another job and became guest master, a post he held for 18 years with a just short break in the middle. It was a duty he performed with great love and care and, of course, it put him into contact with many, many people. In fact, with an energy that gave the lie to his age, he was very active in many ways, both as a monk and a priest. He loved celebrating Mass or presiding at Vespers and spent much time in preparation. He was always determined to get things right.

There are two types of convert: those who reject and are highly critical of the religion or church in which they grew up and those who see their conversion as a further stage in their spiritual journey, a special gift of grace, becoming Catholic while retaining a deep love for and appreciation of the church of their birth. Fr Cadfan was definitely one of the latter. He became a Catholic, and was thoroughly orthodox in his Catholic beliefs and obedient to the Magisterium of the Church, yet in many ways he remained an Anglican. As a result, he was very active in the world of ecumenism, forging a wonderful relationship with Worcester Cathedral, for example, and in recent years being the Catholic Ecumenical Companion at Hereford Cathedral. He saw friendship, respect and praying together as a gentle and more certain path to Christian Unity. It’s a joy to welcome Bishop Richard this afternoon representing Dean Michael and the cathedral community at Hereford and the Reverend Sue Adeney representing Dean Peter and the cathedral community at Worcester.

Just as Fr Cadfan was a good and loyal monk, so he was a good and loyal friend. The large gathering here today bears witness to the love and esteem so many felt for him and he for them. He was a befriender, who looked after his friends, visited them and prayed for them. If we list the places he visited regularly, then we will have some idea of the magnitude of his love. We have already mentioned the cathedrals of Hereford and Worcester. Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, his second monastic home, Whitehaven and the Parish of St Begh, where he was honorary curate and kept a key to the front door, Lourdes, where he led an annual pilgrimage from Neath in South Wales, Walsingham, and Our Lady of Walsingham to whom he had a very special devotion, Llantarnam and Curzon Park with their communities of nuns, Tintern Abbey and the annual celebration of Vespers there, Venice and the Abbazia San Giorgio, the Welsh National Eisteddfod. The list goes on and on. Then there was the Belmont Parish. He had loved serving Broad Oak and Ewyas Harold until they closed and he enjoyed greeting the congregation as people emerged from Mass on a Sunday morning. He reveled in such parish events as Quiz Night and the Fete. He could be the life and soul of a party.

He particularly loved families and family life, for in some way they made up for his being an only child with practically no family of his own. For many years he helped our retreat programme, taking charge of the Kemble Room and making sure people paid their dues. He looked forward particularly to leading the annual Llandrindod Wells parish retreat. He never forgot a name or a face, even though for a number of years now he has been certified both blind and deaf. Small in stature he may have been, but what a giant he was in wisdom, loyalty, empathy, prayerfulness, patience, humility and fun. He could be cantankerous at times, but he was also kindness itself. If you asked for a volunteer, he would always be first to sign up and he never ever complained that he was too busy or had too much work to do, that he was getting older or was in pain or was now too frail to do manual work or say another Mass or hear more confessions. He was game for anything. In fact, we were planning to go together to Peru at the end of January. He wanted to see the community there “in situ,” as he said, before he got too old to travel. He had a saying based of the Rule of St Benedict, “Let nothing be preferred to a trip!” There will never be another one like him!

The Lord rewarded him with a swift and painless death. As the Book of Wisdom puts it, “their hope was rich with immortality, slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.” Fr Cadfan always made light of his afflictions, indeed turned them to his advantage with that mischievous sense of humour with which God had blessed him. Now we pray for his soul, that it may rest in peace, for “those who are faithful will live with God in love; grace and mercy await those he has chosen.” Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.