Parking is an issue for us here at Llandaff.

It fascinates me to see the pattern of parking on Cathedral Green. Many of those who park here are teachers in the three schools in the Ministry Area. This means by 7:30 am in term time most of the parking is taken.

It is a particular hobby horse of mine that most weekday services in churches are timed so that only retired people can attend. When I was a Head teacher many of my collegaues would be in school before or by 7:30am and nearly all by 8am. By the evening most working people are exhausted or busy. Providing early morning worship is one way of serving the spiritual needs of working people. When I was at St Andrew, Earlsfield in south-west London I celebrated Mass daily at 6:15am. I never celebrated alone. Medics at St George’s, Tooting would come along from the station on their way to work, members of the congregation would come occasionally. Mass took just 15 minutes.

Here, in Llandaff people often comment on the difficulty of our physical position, we are tucked away below an escarpment out of the city centre. But in fact we are passed by hundreds of people every day. Dog walkers on their way to the Taff. Students at the Metropolitan University, joggers, walkers and those who can’t sleep. Opening the west doors at 6am I know that every single day visitors and newcomers will come in, hundreds of others will look in and see us. This is why we celebrate the 8am Mass at the nave altar. We are making a strong statement. We can be seen by everyone who passes. We are saying that this is sacred space. Whether we are four people or nine people we claim this space for God.

But 8am is quite late. So at 7am on my working days I celebrate Mass at the Teilo altar, where St Teilo’s skull is enshrined.

I love this Mass. There are the regulars, all of them are what I would describe as natural contemplatives. They come early and sit around the cathedral, we gather at 7am; then there are the random: nurses on their way home from a night shift, young men who have been clubbing, the bereft and the anguished looking for any sort of refuge, the curious among the joggers and walkers.

Fifteen minutes is all it takes, I am careful to give people space to leave without talking. Who needs chit chat at 7am? I stand oustide the south east door at the end of Mass, and the people make their choice.

The rite we use, from the liturgies of the Church in Wales is simple. I use as much Welsh as I think appropriate for the congregation. We use Eucharistic Prayer 1 in the Welsh rite daily. It includes the offertory prayers so saves on time. I rather like Eucharistic Prayers ending in the Sanctus despite the scholarship suggesting that it probably never happened.

I love this early Mass, and the people who come. It is the very best start to the day.

St Teilo looks on us from his reliquary. It is good that he is praying for us and for all who receive the Eucharist in this holy place.