Over three hundred Freemasons and their families from all over South-East Wales descended on Brecon on Sunday 22nd October 2006.
The occasion was the 5th Annual Provincial Church Service which was held in the town's Cathedral. The services have been held on a three year cycle at Llandaff, Gorseinon and Brecon. Like the first visit to Brecon in 2003, the weather was grey and damp but, as usual, the warmth of the welcome and the chance to renew old friendships - and make new ones - made that seem unimportant.
The Cathedral's regular Evensong attendance was swelled beyond recognition with Brethren, and their families, of many faiths coming together in this act of of collective worship.
Provincial Grand Master, Hywel Davies, who has lived in the town and worshipped at the Cathedral for over three decades was delighted with the level of support. Speaking after the service he said
'It is heartwarming to see such a large number of people making what, for most of them, will have been a long journey north to join together in a tangible and public demonstration of the spiritual dimension of Freemasonry. Belief in a Supreme Being, by whatever name is appropriate to the individual's religion, is a prerequisite to membership of our fraternity.
'This is a fine example of the enduring legacy of our Freemasonry in the Community initiative by which our members are encouraged to proudly say, "here we are, these are our values, this is what we stand for". I look forward to our next service in a year's time, in the west of the Province, when we can unite in this wonderful way yet again. Other Provinces have longer traditions of such services, but our geography has been an obstacle with more than 80 miles separating the far north and the extreme south of our area. We seem to be have been able to overcome that difficulty in recent years and long may this continue.'
