Welcome

The St Mary’s Centre is a Christian research institute rooted in Wales that works in the broad fields of religion and education. In accordance with its Anglican ethos, the Centre is committed to serving both the Church and wider Society. Recognised as a member of the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC), the Centre collaborates with Bishop Grosseteste University (Lincoln), and Queen's College (St Johns, Newfoundland) as well as other academic and professional institutions. 


Research

Core to the work of the Centre is the development and promotion of research that may directly inform practice in church-related, school-related, and community-related contexts. 

Our research projects engage the following areas:

  • prayer and sacred space
  • congregation studies
  • clergy wellbeing and resilience
  • cathedrals and churches
  • visitor studies and tourism
  • rural church, rural theology, and rural communities
  • religious and spiritual experiences
  • living with religious diversity
  • distinctiveness and effectiveness of church schools
  • bullying and victimisation
  • pyschological type and individual differences
Information regarding our research projects is available on this website in the research section.

Research into practice

We translate our research into practice through creating, supporting, and offering:
  • curriculum resources for primary schools
  • resources for A-level students
  • resources for churches and Christian parents
  • seminars and symposia
  • public presentations for practitioners
  • programmes developing research-based reflective practice
  • consultancy
The resources that we produce for schools and churches are available on this website in the resources section.

Seminars and Symposia

The St Mary's Centre runs seminars and symposia where researchers and practitioners can share/present and discuss their findings and ideas. This enables research, good practice, and contacts to be shared in the fields of religion and education.

Examples of the research presented at some of our seminars and symposia can be found on this website in the courses section.

Management

The St Mary's Centre is managed by the charitable company The St Mary's and St Giles' Centre (Registered Charity number 1141117)


Contacts

Executive Director:    The Revd Dr Tania ap Siôn, MA (Oxon), MA (Bangor), PhD (Warwick)
                                Email: smc.taniaapsion@gmail.com 

Honorary Director:     The Revd Canon Professor Leslie J. Francis
                                PhD, DLitt, ScD, DD, FBPsS, FAcSS
                                Email: leslie.francis@warwick.ac.uk

Research Associate:   Mrs Emma L. Eccles
                                Email: emma.eccles@bishopg.ac.uk