The Bishop of St David’s has said urgent steps need to be taken to prevent St David’s Cathedral from becoming insolvent.
Following a 'visitation' in December to direct and encourage ministry at the cathedral, Rt Rev Dorrien Davies’ report, which has just been published, identified shortfalls in leadership, governance and financial management.
St David's Cathedral is one of the most important Christian sites in Wales and a focus for pilgrimage, but the report has expressed concern over its spiritual health with a lack of collegiate prayer among clergy and “minimal” pastoral care for the congregation. It criticised the cathedral Chapter for its “spiritual dimension” being “less visible than might be expected”.
Financial reserves at the cathedral have also been depleted with “limited evidence of decisive action to secure long-term sustainability.” As a result, the report warns that the cathedral is “at risk of financial unsustainability”, which “could lead to insolvency within two years. A credible recovery plan has not yet been developed”.
A new Executive Committee to support leadership and address some of the report’s recommendations has already been formed as a result of the visitation.
Bishop Dorrien said it was only right that the cathedral was subject to scrutiny and that it wasn’t a “sign of failure, but of care and hope for the future”.
A bishop’s visitation is an official pastoral and canonical visit to a congregation or institution within a diocese. It allows the bishop to oversee clergy, inspect administrative and financial records, administer sacraments like confirmation, and connect with the local community.
St David's Cathedral is situated on the Pembrokeshire peninsula on the site of a sixth-century monastery built by St David, the patron saint of Wales. It has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 800 years.