Prayer and Pizza at St Mary’s Priory, Abergavenny

A joyful celebration of hospitality, creativity, and connection came to St Mary’s Priory Church, Abergavenny, last weekend (September 20/21) when the first annual Welsh Pizza Festival took place in the grounds of one of Wales’s most welcoming sacred spaces.

As well as different sorts of tasty pizza, from award-winning makers, the ministry area turned part of the church into a pop-up café, serving cream teas, coffee and lots of cake.

There was also food for the soul throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the younger members of St Mary’s Priory Choir sang Morning Prayer, visitors took part in Midday Prayer, which was followed by an organ recital by Director of Music Tim Pratt, before the day ended with Compline sung by some of the adult members of the choir. Sunday saw the regular Eucharists and Evening Prayer.

There were lots of visitors, exploring one of the largest collections of monuments in any parish church in the UK as well as the unique Jesse figure. But perhaps the most prayerful parts of the weekend came in the quietness of individual moments.

The Diocese of Monmouth provided bunting, and copies of the Faith in Our Future Vision and Culture guides, together with postcards explaining our values of love, generosity, joy, humility, courage and integrity. Visitors took copies away with them, talked to the church stewards and, in one case, a woman who was in some distress said that sitting and reading them had helped her immeasurably.

The Welsh Pizza Festival is the first in a community partnership between the MA and local businessmen Lee Hammand and Dan Thomas. Together they’re reimagining how church spaces can serve the wider community—not just as places of worship, but as places of belonging, joy, and shared experiences.