St Issui Church, Partrishow by Caroline Lower
St Issui’s Church, Partrishow near Abergavenny, South Wales
June 2019
It was a second visit for me to this beautifully secluded, peaceful, ancient place of worship and martyrdom. This time we had a Canadian couple who are great friends of ours, with us.
We were blessed that the church was empty of visitors.
He, being an Anglican priest went straight through the beautiful rood screen to the altar and started praying out loud. We joined in and started singing and worshipping. Then all at once he banged on the table 3 times whilst saying “Saints of God arise”. With that we felt a tremble deep in the ground under the stone altar table and a rustling of many angels’ wings as they stood to attention. We then became aware of a presence in the corner of the chapel, I knew it to be St Issui.
It was a very solemn experience but also one of great joy. We only had a short time to savour these precious moments as another group of visitors entered the chapel. Afterwards we walked down to the well. A handy large shell had been left by others, so we were able to scoop up the water and pour it over each other. It felt like a baptism.
It was such a blessed time and one we pondered over for the rest of the trip and our time together.
Spring 2021
I encountered St Issui again during a time of silent prayer and engaging heaven on a Zoom call with some friends.
I was kneeling before St Issui and he had a sword with which he tapped my right and left shoulders. I understood it to mean a commissioning but the purpose is not yet clear to me.
I have tried to find out more about this obscure Saint that very few have heard of. I am very interested in knowing the particular anointing that he carried as that may indicate what I was being commissioned for.
By Caroline Lower
Notes by Kathy Laity: These mystical experiences whilst familiar to some of us are a bit alien to others. Just to reassure people, we are not 'communing with the dead' when encountering Christians from other centuries. My understanding is that in that moment we are outside of time. Even Jesus met with Elijah and Moses after they were dead as recorded in Matthew 17:3. They tend to occur during a time of worship or deep contemplative prayer focussed on Jesus. We are not seeking 'encounters' or 'experiences' but Jesus.
Whilst Caroline wants to know and understand further especially what she was commissioned for, she readily accepts that sometimes faith to receive is all the understanding we get of these unusual experiences. Other times we see the outworking down the line and realise where it stems from.
It's a joy to include Caroline's experience at St Issui as I experienced something very profound the two times I've visited. It's a very unusual place and a 'thin one', a place to recommend for coming aside with God.
