THE FIRST woman to become Bishop of Bangor will formally begin her public ministry this weekend with specially commissioned jewellery celebrating the diocese’s ancient Christian heritage.
Bishop Manon Ceridwen James will be installed as the 82nd Bishop of Bangor at the cathedral at 2pm on Saturday, September 19.
Her episcopal ring and pectoral cross, made in silver and gold by Welsh jeweller Rhiannon Evans, draw on the carved crosses, coastal traditions and religious history of Nefyn, Llŷn and Ynys Enlli.
The pieces are among the jeweller’s final commissions before retirement.
Originally from Nefyn on the Llŷn Peninsula, Bishop Manon is a first-language Welsh speaker whose ministry began in the diocese more than three decades ago.
She said: “When thinking about the design of my ring and cross, it was important to me that they included symbols from the diocese.
“As I’m from Nefyn, Rhiannon found an ancient cross from between Nefyn and Pistyll which she used in the design.”
The early cross is thought to date from between the seventh and ninth centuries. Its design features on the ring and the reverse of the pectoral cross.
Knotwork inspired by crosses on Ynys Enlli also appears in the jewellery, with Bishop Manon choosing the interwoven patterns as a symbol of the Trinity.
Rhiannon said: “Knotwork was a feature of Celtic monastic art, representing the way God’s creation is eternal, all interrelated and intertwined, with our human existence merely a part of the whole.”
A round lapis lazuli stone sits at the centre of the pectoral cross. For Bishop Manon, its shape carries a message about the way she sees ministry.
“A round stone for me stands for equality and how we all serve and minister to one another,” she said.
The design also includes a motif inspired by the sea and Llŷn’s fishing tradition, incorporating the fish as an ancient symbol of Christ.
Bishop Manon was consecrated at Newport Cathedral on Saturday, September 12, when she was anointed and presented with the symbols of a bishop’s ministry.
Her crozier was a gift from former Archbishop of Wales Barry Morgan, who ordained her as both deacon and priest.
She was ordained deacon at Bangor Cathedral in 1994 and became one of the first women ordained priest in the diocese in 1997.
Since then, she has served parishes in Bangor and St Asaph and held roles in training, education and vocations, including Director of Ministry at St Asaph. She was Dean for Initial Ministerial Training at St Padarn’s Institute before becoming Dean of Bangor Cathedral in October 2025.
For Rhiannon, the commission continues a career of creating religious pieces for bishops and archbishops, including the gold clasp still worn on the Archbishop of Wales’s robes.
She said: “I was delighted that I was asked to create these pieces for Bishop Manon, as they are probably my last commission before retirement.
“I always feel privileged to make religious, spiritual pieces.”
Saturday’s installation service is by invitation only because of limited space.