Archbishop opens community hall inspired by stabbed vicar

A community project, which had been the vision of a parish priest before he was stabbed to death three years ago, is to be opened today by the Archbishop of Wales.

Father Paul Bennett had begun plans to transform the old hall at St Fagan’s Church, Trecynon, into a modern, multi-purpose centre for the whole community when he was killed in the grounds of the vicarage in March 2007.

His parishioners, however, with help from their new vicar, Rev Kevin Lake, kept his dream alive and worked hard to secure the £200,000 needed to complete the project.

They will celebrate its opening with a service of dedication, led by the Archbishop, Dr Barry Morgan, with civic dignitaries on Thursday evening.

The new hall has fully accessible office and kitchen facilities and will be used by groups of people of all ages, from parent-and-toddler groups to Brownies and adult learning classes, in addition to being a base for the parish.

Most of the money which paid for it came from a variety of grants, including the Welsh Assembly Government’s community facilities and activities programme and one from Amgen Environmental Body, a landfill communities fund.

Dr Morgan said the opening of the new hall was a significant moment for the whole community of St Fagans.

He said, “The inspiration behind this came from Fr Paul who recognised the need in the community for a modern, comfortable place to meet and saw how the church could provide it.

"We thank God that his parishioners have had the strength to see the project through and we pray that the new hall will strengthen the community of Trecynon and help ease the pain still felt from the brutal loss of a man so many described as the ‘heart of the community’.”

Parishioner Peter Godsall, who oversaw the entire project from its initial stages with Fr Paul to its successful completion with Rev Lake, said, “The parishioners were determined that Paul Bennett’s vision of the Church in partnership with the community would come to fruition.

"We now have a much needed refurbished hall which is assessable to the whole of the community.”

Mr Lake said, “This project represents the culmination of years of aspiration and work, set in motion by Father Paul.

"We all appreciate the time and effort that has gone into the design and construction. Together they represent the desire of our parish project to rebuild our future, to bring greater unity between our churches and to reach out to the wider community with a hall which can truly be a focal centre of our community.”

Cynon Valley Assembly Member, Christine Chapman, will also be at the service. She said, "I was delighted to be asked to attend the re-dedication ceremony of St Fagans Church Hall. I would like to pay tribute to the commitment of the church members who have done such a great job on the hall, which I'm sure will be very much valued not only by them, but also by the wider community."