The Bishop of Monmouth, the Rt Revd Dominic Walker OGS, awarded the Order of St Woolos to three lay people in recognition of the outstanding service they have given to the Diocese. The award was given during Evensong in Newport Cathedral on Sunday, 7th February.
The Order of St Woolos was founded in January 2006 by the Bishop of Monmouth as a way of honouring lay people who have served the diocese with distinction and generosity for many years and have held positions of responsibility within the diocese.
The new members are: Mr John Collier, Dr John Herbert OBE, Miss Jennifer Sollis.
Mr John Collier
John was brought up in the diocese and in his youth served as an officer and junior leader in the Church Lads Brigade. He also worked as a volunteer with St John Ambulance and was appointed an Officer Brother of the Order of St John. John spent his working life with the gas industry. He was licensed as a Reader in 1994 and in 1996 took on the important role of Arrangement Secretary which involves liaising with area deans, incumbents and churchwardens in order to link them with Readers who are available to lead worship and preach in various parts of the diocese. John carried out this ministry until 2007 and in 2008 he was elected Chairman of the Diocese of Monmouth Readers’ Association. He is also a Lay Eucharistic Minister.
Dr John Herbert, O.B.E.
John (Jack) Herbert has served the people of Wales through his vocation and profession as an educationalist. He was headmaster of three secondary schools and is a former President of the Welsh Secondary Schools Association, a former Chairman of the Welsh Secondary Heads Association, and former editor of the Welsh Secondary Schools Review. He was also associated in various roles with the University of Wales.
Jack has also given long and faithful service to the Church in Wales. For thirty years he was a member of the Governing Body and the Council of the Board of Mission; for twenty years he was a member of the Ministry Council. He chaired or belonged to various sub groups and working groups including the Provincial Education Committee. He launched and edited Theologia Cambrensis and was a provincial Selector for candidates for ordination. Within the Diocese, he has served on the Diocesan Committees for Education, Lay Training and Evangelism and the Diocesan Conference. He has lectured our trainee Readers and clergy and helped to educate a number of youngsters who were ordained in the Diocese.
Miss Jennifer Sollis
Jennifer is a familiar welcoming face at Newport Cathedral where she is the Chief Steward. She is also well known in both the Diocese and Province in having served on so many Diocesan and Provincial Boards, Councils and Committees. During the past 30 years Jennifer has served on the Archbishop’s Commission on Boundaries and Structures, the Electoral College, the Children’s Society Committee, and as Secretary to the Friends of the Cathedral and the Newport Deanery Conference. She has also served as a Provincial Selector for candidates for ordination.
Currently, Jennifer represents the Diocese on the Governing Body, the Representative Body and the Diocesan Board of Finance. She is a member of the committee of the Archbishop’s Fund for Children, the Diocesan Council for Education and the Diocesan Conference. She gives generously of her time and wisdom in the governance of the Church in Wales, and to the life of our Mother Church.
