Children and young people are an important part of our life together. St Mary’s is a diverse community of faith in a multi-cultural area, and our congregation consists of people of all ages, and all are welcome!
We also welcome enquiries from Schools and Colleges, as well as other groups and we love to engage with visitors and tourists to Cardiff. We are committed to working with and for young people both within and outside of our church community. St Mary’s Church is rich in faith and history, and we’re sure to have something to suit your needs and interests!
School Resources
You’ll find many resources for work with children and young people, whether in school or in church, including an array of School Assembly ideas on our Resources Pages. We are also trialing an exciting project called ‘Faithful Butetown Discovery Days’ for schools which will soon have its own dedicated webpage. Check back soon!
Faithful Butetown
Although Cardiff is growing rapidly, it’s still a small, friendly city and it’s easy to get around on foot or by public transport.
Butetown was one of the first multicultural and multi-religious areas in the UK and still retains something of this heritage today. There are several churches of different traditions, two mosques, Ty Krishna and a rich history of faith and religion,
This A3 folded leaflet takes you on a walk though ‘Faithful Butetown, from Callaghan Square along Bute Street to Mount Stuart Square and the Bay. We’re also currently working on a related exciting project for schools – but it’s all under wraps at the moment!
Walls and windows
Check out our Schools Resource Pack with ideas for visits across the curriculum.
With Notes for Teachers, ideas for activities, and worksheets for children, this pack offers insights into a thousand years of history and faith from Norman Conquest to Victorian Times and the Industrial Revolution, from World War II to the present day.
Whether its history or geography, Science or Art and Design, Literacy and Numeracy, or Global Citizenship or RE, St Mary’s is rich in resources to make your visit a fruitful one! You can download it here, or flick through the pages in the gallery at the bottom of this page.
Enter the Mystery
Solve ‘The Mystery of the Stone Head’ in the first of a series of adventure booklets for children
An A5 booklet guiding children through a thousand years of history to present day ‘Tiger Bay’ and the rich multicultural heritage and life of Butetown. Along the way, we’ll meet some important (although often forgotten) people, like Fr Jones of Cardiff and Alderman Hughes, the First Lord Mayor of the City of Cardiff.
‘The Mystery of the Stone Head’ helps children to discover something of the history of Cardiff, and the place that faith has had in its growth to be the city it is today. We look forward to welcoming you!
INDOOR, OUTDOOR
Whether indoor or outdoors, there are many opportunities for children and young people at St Mary’s
St Mary’s Wild Side
Our outdoor space is a great place for fun, discovery and learning. We arrange regular events from going on a Bug Hunt or being a Wildlife Detective, feeding the birds, planting and sowing, and a hoard of other activities for all ages. Our Wild Side is a new development with plenty of room to grow!
Sunday Lives
Children and young people are an important part of our life together. During Mass on Sundays, children from 5 to 11 years of age are invited to participate in their own Liturgy of the Word with activity and prayer. Young people also take a full part in the Mass through serving at the altar, reading and leading prayers, etc.
Through the Year
Children and young people are involved each week during our Sunday Mass but we’re also active through the year with Seasonal sessions!
Often packed with lots of art and craft activities, our seasonal sessions are aimed at being fun and creative, helping children to explore the Christian faith and to pray in a way that is designed especially for them!
As we rebuild our activities following the disruption of the last few years, we’ll be planning events for 2023
Children at Mass
We offer a warm welcome to all and we want to do all we can to make our worship and activities as accessible and inclusive as possible.
We are particularly mindful of the needs of those with children or babies and we try to do all we can to support them and help them feel at home and part of the life of the church in this place.
To help with this, we’ve designed a colourful leaflet offering suggestions about how you can nurture your child within the Mass, and what we try to do to make everything as accessible, involving and supportive as possible.
Children & Communion
The Church in Wales allows all who are baptized to receive Holy Communion—and in the case of children, of course, only with their parents’ permission.
However, growing in and up within the Eucharistic Community is an ongoing journey, and children need continued nurturing, guidance and teaching as their understanding of the world widens and matures.
This is particularly so when we participate in the Mass and receive Holy Communion so that such a precious gift as the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood is never received without reverence and deep devotion. Although your baptised child is able to receive communion whenever you wish them to, we can offer initial and ongoing guidance.
St Mary’s School
St Mary’s Church has made five commitments to St Mary’s School
In the Walls and Windows
The first volume of our Schools Resource can be downloaded above, or you can flick through the pages here!
St Mary the Virgin, Cardiff 