Fr Gareth Parry, recently received into the ACC and originally ordained in the Church of Wales, is busy establishing the ACC’s work in North Wales. The Bishop has agreed the formation of a Provisional Mission dedicated to The Good Shepherd & St Tudwal / Cenhadaeth Y Bugail Da a Sant Tudwal.
Our Lord needs no introduction as “The Good Shepherd” but who was St Tudwal?
TUDWAL, Bishop, Confessor, died c553-559 AD. Tudwal was a native of Britain, went to Ireland to study the scriptures, and came then to North West Wales. He lived the life of a hermit to begin with, on what is now known as St Tudwal’s Island East. There was also a well dedicated to him in the parish of Llanengan nearby on the mainland. A parish on the North coast of the Lleyn peninsula is called Tudweiliog (=Tudwal’s land). He moved from North Wales with his mother and about 70 monks to Brittany. He is one of the seven founders of the church in Brittany and he later became Bishop of Treguier in Brittany. He founded many churches in the area and a small chapel on Herm is dedicated to him. Variations of his name are Tugual, Tugdual, Tual.