RS Thomas

R S Thomas

Dear Friends,

I hope you found last week’s Devotions exploring themes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer interesting and useful for your own discipleship journeys.  This week we turn to 6 poems from the Welsh priest and poet R S Thomas.

Ronald Stuart Thomas (1913-2000) was a priest of the Church in Wales and a noted poet.  He was a Welsh Nationalist concerned about the increasing Englishness of Wales.  He read Latin at the University College of North Wales and later trained for ministry with the, Anglican, Church in Wales.  After ordination he began to learn the Welsh language but felt he’d started to learn too late in life to write poetry in it; he served in Welsh speaking areas from the 1960s onwards. 

R S Thomas started to publish poetry in the 1940s.  After retirement, in 1978, he became more vocal in his advocacy of Welsh Nationalism; he never supported Plaid Cymryu as it recognised the Westminster Parliament and so, in his view, fell short in its opposition to English dominance.  He died in 2000. 

This week we look at 6 poems chosen by Susan Durber, Ruth Whitehead and Michael Hopkins who explore the spirituality  of the poems to help us in our discipleship. 

With every good wish

Andy

The Rev’d Andy Braunston
Minister for Digital Worship