THE vicar of Abergele has expressed her mixed emotions at leaving to become the first Welsh-born woman archdeacon.
Rev Shirley Griffiths, who has served Abergele since 2002 with responsibilities for St George for the past two years, has been appointed Archdeacon of Wrexham.
Mrs Griffiths, 62, said she was shocked at being offered the role as a leading cleric in the Diocese of St Asaph after a meeting with the Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Rev Gregory Cameron.
She said: “I was quite amazed when Bishop Gregory asked me. It was the last thing I was expecting when he invited me to see him. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but will be very sad to leave Abergele and St George, where my husband, Robin, and I have developed many friendships and have felt ourselves to be very much part of the community. I have enjoyed working together with many organisations in Abergele and with the other churches, and had planned to stay here until retirement.”
As well as being only the second woman archdeacon in the Church in Wales and the first born in the country, Mrs Griffiths will be the fourth vicar of Abergele to become an archdeacon. She will gradually reduce her parish duties from May, with her final service being at the end of July.
In her eight years in Abergele, Mrs Griffiths has combined her regular parish duties with working to develop several projects for the benefit of the town, including the push for Fairtrade status and celebrating the Year of St Elfod last year. Another lasting legacy is set to be the Canolfan Dewi Sant building on the site of St David’s Church Hall, Pensarn. The community venue is due to be built before the end of the year, with Mrs Griffiths to continue as chair of the steering committee that has made it possible.
Cllr Jean Stubbs, of Pensarn ward on Abergele Town Council, has worked closely with Mrs Griffiths on the Dewi Sant project.
She said: “I would like to congratulate Shirley on her appointment. She is very popular in Abergele and Pensarn and lots of people will miss her.
“We started working towards the Dewi Sant project a few years ago and it is so pleasing that building work is about to begin.”
A former teacher, Mrs Griffiths is a former curate in Dyserth, Trelawnyd and Cwm. She will combine her archdeacon duties in the Deeside to Bala area of the diocese with being rector of Llandegla.