Wrexham church to hold “Festival of Angels” to commemorate those who lost their life to covid

Those who lost their lives to coronavirus in Wales will be commemorated at a special “Festival of Angels” in Wrexham.

Inspired by the fifteenth century musical angels carved into the wooden roof at St Giles’ Parish Church, the congregation has created over 6,000 handcrafted angels.

Made from a variety of materials, some new, some recycled, and all handmade, the thousands of angels will be suspended from the interior of the tower, in nets in the nave of the church, and from the pillars.

The festival will open on Sunday 31 October and run into the New Year.

The Vicar of St Giles, the Revd Dr Jason Bray said, “For many Christians, angels represent hope and light, so as we emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic, we feel that this message of Christian hope is one we want to share with world around us, and the Festival of Angels is a wonderful way of doing that.”

The festival begins on Sunday 31 October with a Eucharist for All Saints at 11am, and a Commemoration of All Souls at 6pm where the names of any deceased loved ones will be remembered – everyone is very welcome to attend.

The church is open Monday to Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and for Sunday services. There is no charge for admission.

In December, the church will also play a central role in the Wrexham Victorian Christmas Market. The event has grown in popularity and size in recent years, with 32,823 people attending the event in 2019 to take in the festive surroundings and enjoy the likes of mulled cider stalls, hot food, arts and crafts and Christmas gifts.

This year’s Victorian Market takes place on Thursday 9 December from midday-8pm and will stretch from St Giles Church throughout the town centre before finishing at Queens Square.

Earlier this year, Dr Bray published a book based on his work as a deliverance minister over the last 20 years. The book, entitled Deliverance, gave an insight into the reality of investigations into ghosts, poltergeists, and other supernatural phenomena. Extensive features and serialisations of the book were run in many of the UK’s national newspapers and Dr Bray has done several interviews with ITV’s This Morning.

St Giles has a reputation for welcoming groups and can provide refreshments if booked in advance. To find out more, please contact the Parish Office on 01978 355808 or by email.