0:00:02 > 0:00:04The Church in Wales -
0:00:04 > 0:00:08a traditional institution, with hymns, prayers and Communion.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Business has been good for millennia but with ageing congregations,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15falling numbers, and abandoned buildings,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19the church is facing a serious religious recession.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22So does the answer lie within these walls,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24at St Michael's College, Cardiff?
0:00:24 > 0:00:26A new generation of priests is being prepared
0:00:26 > 0:00:31for a life that is as likely to include the prison cell as the pulpit
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and they're taking their message to the most unlikely places...
0:00:34 > 0:00:36I've still got to write my sermon.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41..the new recruits are stepping out of the scrum to tackle old ideas...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44As a woman, you've got the Vicar of Dibley stereotype
0:00:44 > 0:00:47and then you've got the lesbian stereotype.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49There aren't many hot Christians.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53..but will the church authorities embrace the new generation...?
0:00:53 > 0:00:58I really do worry that the church isn't ready for people like me.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01..and what will congregations make of the young upstarts...?
0:01:01 > 0:01:03She was very competent.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07..what will their reactions be when they try to mash up the mass?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12In the 21st century the clergy have to get out there...
0:01:12 > 0:01:16This is a fully working embalming theatre.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19..but will the new kids at the altar get their dog collars?
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Talked about leaving.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Yeah, itchy feet.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29In this programme Huw finds life behind bars a little daunting...
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Just being thrown straight out there like that
0:01:31 > 0:01:33is going to be quite nerve-wracking I think.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36..Roz has a bit of a problem with her sermon...
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And even though there's only a couple of people here
0:01:38 > 0:01:39I do have stage fright.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43..and father of three, Steven, is struggling with the sacrifices of college life...
0:01:43 > 0:01:46You know, I miss them terribly when I'm not home.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49..this is the rollercoaster ride of the Vicar Academy.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59It's the start of the autumn term at St Michael's College, Cardiff,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and we've been given unique access behind the scenes
0:02:02 > 0:02:04over an entire year.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08These students come from all walks of life
0:02:08 > 0:02:10and have been thrown together in a very unusual place
0:02:10 > 0:02:13the Church in Wales' own college for training vicars.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Nowhere else in the world
0:02:15 > 0:02:18would you actually get such a vast variety of people.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20We get 21-year-olds
0:02:20 > 0:02:25and we have a quarter of the college that is below 26.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28They face a massive challenge...
0:02:28 > 0:02:31the Church in Wales has to change to survive.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35A third of vicars will retire in the next five years,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39a quarter of church members have gone in the past decade
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and over 80 churches have recently closed.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Studies have predicted that if things stay the same
0:02:46 > 0:02:50the Church in Wales could disappear within a generation.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53'This place is totally different from 30 years ago.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'Industry has changed in Wales, the church has changed.'
0:02:56 > 0:03:00It's not going to stop and so we actually have to have people
0:03:00 > 0:03:02who are up for that change, who don't fear it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10The first year students are being shown around the college chapel
0:03:10 > 0:03:12by vice principal Steven Roberts, and first things first
0:03:12 > 0:03:15as they are taken through the basics of the communion service
0:03:15 > 0:03:19but newcomer Roz Forbes isn't one known for her blind faith.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25So, the first thing that you need to bring is... Not the water.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27It depends.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29OK, yes, it, yes.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So, I'll just show you the right way and...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33THEY ALL LAUGH
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Nobody looks beautiful after a rugby match!
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Rugby playing, plain speaking Roz isn't the most obvious candidate
0:03:44 > 0:03:48for life in the cloth and she's a girl with a lively past.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54I worked as a door supervisor, or bouncer, I've also...
0:03:55 > 0:03:58..worked as a security guard on a building site.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04I've worked as a model, a nude model, for a particular artist.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Like, I did it for a particular class at first
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and then he asked me if I would just post for him.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I loved that. That was really good fun.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14None of Roz's family go to church
0:04:14 > 0:04:18but she came to faith in her late teens.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Everything was fine in my life, average 17-year-old,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23coming up 18, kind of thing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I worked two different jobs, everything was great,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27you know, no real problems.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32Then I basically fell asleep one night. Woke up the next day
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and, like, it was like somebody had put on glasses for me.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Before I thought I was seeing everything fine, and everything.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Everything was brilliant but these glasses had, like, kind of,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47just awoken me to something else. I was missing something.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Now I was seeing a clearer picture and I didn't know what it was.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52There's more behind this. There's a story behind it.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54There's a truth behind it.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59But Roz's main worry is that as she comes closer to God
0:04:59 > 0:05:02she won't get close to any boys.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05It's not a sexy profession, I don't think.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09As a bloke there is always some random woman in the congregation
0:05:09 > 0:05:10who wants to get hitched to a vicar
0:05:10 > 0:05:14so they can be, like, I don't know, a vicar's wife, or whatever.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18You can't really start a conversation with, "Hi, I'm a vicar."
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Roz isn't afraid of shocking others,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and she surprised everyone in a early bonding session,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27where you have to say as much as you can before the match burns out.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31I am passionate about rugby. It is the best game in the world.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It's the thing that brings you all together,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35makes you put your body on the line for the other person
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and the men are really quite hot to play it,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40so that's always a bonus to watch!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42And it is really good drinking, as well,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45you get wasted with the people who you care about.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Training to be a vicar calls for many sacrifices
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and a number of the students have turned their backs
0:05:51 > 0:05:55on successful careers to follow their calling.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58We have a woman who was the Bank of England agent in Wales,
0:05:58 > 0:05:59earning a six-figure salary
0:05:59 > 0:06:04and another student who commanded the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
0:06:04 > 0:06:06in the last Iraq war,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10and everything from 21-year-olds to 50-year-olds,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and a whole range of people in between.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18At the annual celebrity visit there's pictures with the archbishops
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and memories of a very different era.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24When you and I were students,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26colleges were quite close-knit communities.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Almost, not monastic in a serious way but very few families allowed.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30That's right.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And the assumption was you'd be there throughout the week,
0:06:33 > 0:06:34- throughout the term. - That's right.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- Intensely residential and the pattern has changed... - Changed totally, yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42But in fact, things haven't changed that much for one of the new recruits.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Steve Bunting has had to give up spending much time with his family,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47as well as a large salary as a banker
0:06:47 > 0:06:50in order to study on the course.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53These are my Employee of the Month trophies that I got.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58I used to work in a bank called Citibank and...
0:06:59 > 0:07:03..I was working there while I very initially started the process.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's just a reminder to me that this was another life
0:07:06 > 0:07:09before the one I'm leading now.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Steve's had to sacrifice more than just money to follow his calling.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I'm a single father to three children.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I've got Ryan, who's nine, Katie Grace, who's six
0:07:19 > 0:07:23and Sam, who's four, and they keep me on my toes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I hope that when I start ministry that it'll be, you know,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30a ministry of the four of us together.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32You know, they're getting used to,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36now, after several years of their dad's a vicar.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Dad wears dresses on Sundays!
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Living away from his children during the week has been a challenge for Steve,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46but he's brought a bit of his family with him to campus.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49You know, I miss them terribly when I'm not home and...
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I miss the noise then. I miss...
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I miss the fact that...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56even though its drives me mad,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Sam will is common jump in bed with m, in the morning
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and the night, he'll just come for a cuddle.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04You do wonder why you put yourself through it
0:08:04 > 0:08:05but then you remember why,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08you know, and sometimes you've got to be reminded why.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11There are people in Wales who are putting their money
0:08:11 > 0:08:12in their pocket each week,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15who haven't got much money, to pay for me to be here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17That's where the money comes from.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18You know, I've got to bear that in mind
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and realise how privileged I am that I am here doing this.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26And I chose, you know, to train in this way, you know, at this time
0:08:26 > 0:08:30but that doesn't mean it's not difficult but I'm, you know...
0:08:30 > 0:08:32it will be worth it in the end, I think.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38North Walian Huw Bryant is another vicar to be with a colourful past.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40He's a man with a love of protesting.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43We'll go along to places like Faslane Peace Camp
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and join in the protest marches.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I mean, I used to sit there all winter waiting for May Day
0:08:48 > 0:08:49so we could march on London.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And just because he wants to be a minister
0:08:52 > 0:08:55it doesn't mean he's putting away his tools of protest.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57The real reason for having a banner,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02after protesting in London, where the Met cop is keeping an eye on you...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06..is you have a stick if they attack you.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11But most of the ones I've been on before have been, like,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13the big anti-war ones that we had before the Afghan war
0:09:13 > 0:09:14and the Iraq war.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17There we go. Has it gone through?
0:09:17 > 0:09:19It's there.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21That should hold a bit on there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Today Huw's joined a small protest at the National Assembly
0:09:25 > 0:09:28against the closure of rural public toilets.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We arrived a bit late so I think most of them have already gone in
0:09:31 > 0:09:34but they said there's about 100 people or so,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37which is really good, considering the weather.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Huw's home life isn't that conventional either
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and he isn't married to your typical vicar's wife.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46My wife's not Christian, Buddhist by tradition
0:09:46 > 0:09:48but not really practising and not searching.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I met her working in a hotel, in London.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54She certainly didn't have any idea that this was coming,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56any more than I did!
0:09:56 > 0:10:00I think the biggest job was sitting you down and going,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03"You do realise vicarage life means this." And you going,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06"Bugger off and try it. If we get divorced, we get divorced."
0:10:06 > 0:10:09At the end of the day that's your job, not my job.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13You know, everything that goes on in our lives,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I've got my faith to sustain me.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17All she's got is me.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Huw wants to take his unusual mixture
0:10:20 > 0:10:23of beliefs and backgrounds into the church to liven things up.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25I'm a contradiction.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28While I like to think of myself as an anarchist,
0:10:28 > 0:10:33I do have a tendency to like ritual, routine and rules.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But I certainly think we need to do a lot more
0:10:36 > 0:10:38to become free in this country.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Both from a Christian point of view and a political point of view.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I will be as outlandish in my theology as possible
0:10:46 > 0:10:47because it makes everybody think.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50It's only when people are really pushed that you find out what
0:10:50 > 0:10:54they really believe rather than what they've been told to believe.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59The students at St Michael's spend a lot of time in the classroom
0:10:59 > 0:11:00on academic and Bible study.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05They're also taught the practical basics of the church's traditions -
0:11:05 > 0:11:08how to conduct baptisms and weddings,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and of course the regular Sunday sermon.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Roz is soon to face her first assessed sermon,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17with the vice principal of the college sitting in the congregation.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20One of the first steps to the perfect preach
0:11:20 > 0:11:22is ensuring that the voice is in good working order.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25And like all other first years,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Roz has come for a session with voice coach Emma Stevens Johnson
0:11:29 > 0:11:32in preparation for the sermon X Factor.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Let's hear you read something and then we will go from there. OK.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42Even though there's only a couple of people here I do have stage fright.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- It might be a bit... - It's all right, don't worry.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54And the Word was God. He was in...
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Oh, I can't even read!
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Tutor Emma is a little anxious at Roz's obvious nerves
0:12:00 > 0:12:04and wants to go back to basics.
0:12:04 > 0:12:10Tell me a little bit about how you got here today.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15As in, I woke up at 7:30am. I made a cup of coffee.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I had an awful hangover.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23I crawled out of bed, got to lunch, felt miserable and sick
0:12:23 > 0:12:24and now I'm here talking to you.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27The rate at which you speak, they've said that this is fine?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- I would slow it down for the bigger churches.- Yeah.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34So it has time to come back to you and everything.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37And actually you do need to slow it down a little bit
0:12:37 > 0:12:39- for even spaces as small as this. - Right.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45Even in the pulpit, how you say it is as important as what you say,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and Emma is worried about the tension in Roz's voice.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52So the first thing is just a basic hamstring stretch against the wall.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56This is going to warm up your breathing muscles.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59What you're going to do is take a breath in through the nose
0:12:59 > 0:13:01and out through the mouth.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03So I'm going to...
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I know it's cold, I'm going to put my hands on your diaphragm if that's OK.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- Yeah.- So your diaphragm is around about here.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11This is keeping your shoulders straight
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and it's warming up the right bits.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16What I want you to do is take a good breath in.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And let it out through the mouth.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Because as soon as you can move your shoulders
0:13:20 > 0:13:22you're moving the wrong bit.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Think about this bit of your body working, not your shoulders.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Breathing sorted, it's on to facial exercises.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32The first one I want you to do is with your top lip.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34You're just going to move it around.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Then you are going to snarl like a rabbit.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41That starts your lip going up there.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- I can't do that.- Exactly, you see.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48But what has Roz made of her unforgiving afternoon
0:13:48 > 0:13:50with a hard task master?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53I quite enjoyed it and there's nothing wrong with my voice. Get in!
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I can blag it, I can come across as all confident and it's fine.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00The true test for Roz will come in in a few days
0:14:00 > 0:14:03she will have to do it for real in front of a congregation.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05He pours it out in abundance...
0:14:05 > 0:14:07As well as preaching in parishes,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10the students are sent on a variety of placements.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12These take them out into the community
0:14:12 > 0:14:16to a huge range of chaplaincies and projects.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21They also include experience of working in prison.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24For Huw Bryant this will have a personal relevance.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28I've fallen foul of the law once or twice in the past.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Needless to say I don't drink any more now.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33I've learned my lesson, especially being married and with kids
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and having responsibility.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Going into the prison
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and knowing that with my own past
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I could easily have ended up in there myself,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50it's quite nerve wracking to go and see these people
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and knowing that I could easily have ended up in there myself.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58During his time at Cardiff prison, Huw will be under the guidance
0:14:58 > 0:14:59of chaplain Mark John,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03who's there to show him the ropes and keep him safe.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Huw's first taste of life behind bars
0:15:05 > 0:15:08is a meeting with the other chaplains in the prison,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11which include a Muslim, a Catholic and a Pagan.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- Huw, this is Andrew, Andrew is a Catholic chaplain.- Huw, how are you?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18You've already met Graham, an officer working with us.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- And this is Kamal. He is one of the Muslim chaplains here. - Nice to meet you.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25So we're all on duty today and we tend to try and meet here
0:15:25 > 0:15:29about this time in the morning, just to work out what we are going to do.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I know Ty, our Pagan chaplain, is also coming in this morning
0:15:32 > 0:15:35so she could be part of that and help out.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37So that'll be another thing of learning for you,
0:15:37 > 0:15:42you've got a Muslim who's tame, he's nice as well, promise you!
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Because everything in the prison service
0:15:44 > 0:15:46is done in a multi-faith way.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Part of a chaplain's work is to keep an eye out
0:15:48 > 0:15:50for any vulnerable prisoners who could harm themselves,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and report their worries to the prison authorities.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57It may be they say something to us that would be an insight.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00So if someone is feeling particularly low in mood,
0:16:00 > 0:16:05you might pick up that they said it was their granny's birthday.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I think we're going in at the deep end here,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10going down to the healthcare unit.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I know it was going to be...
0:16:12 > 0:16:15You have to go out and meet the prisoners, but just being
0:16:15 > 0:16:19thrown straight out there like that is going to be quite nerve wracking.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Generally, people only hear about prison when something bad has happened.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27There's been a death, somebody has escaped. So to come in...
0:16:27 > 0:16:31You hear the doors clanking, you see people around.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Often it's shocking that they see so many prisoners around.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36You think, "It's a prison, what are they doing all milling round?"
0:16:36 > 0:16:39So all of those kind of things go through your head.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Also for Huw this morning, it's the very fact
0:16:41 > 0:16:43he's wearing a clerical collar for the first time,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45it must make him feel a bit strange.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48It's all part of a learning experience actually.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53It's just all the lads coming back from the gym.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56If you just follow on there.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Go on through the next door, you'll be fine.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02Cheers, mate.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Basically, if you stick with me you're going to be all right.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10If you feel uncomfortable about something just tell me.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13There are a series of alarm bells on the wall.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15You only press the alarm bell
0:17:15 > 0:17:18if you fear your safety or something's going out
0:17:18 > 0:17:21that you can't control or you're in a difficult situation.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23There'll be staff on the wing anyway,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25so there's nothing really to worry about.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27The key thing is just be sensible.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32If you have a question, ask, however it feels.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35You're in here to learn and...
0:17:35 > 0:17:37With going into cells and things,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40do you still, common courtesy, knock before going in?
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I always knock, yeah.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The chaplains come face to face with serious criminals on a daily basis.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54And some are facing potential life sentences.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Murder charge. He's still asleep, he's still asleep.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Huw's first experience of the day is on the healthcare wing,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and his nerves are obvious
0:18:03 > 0:18:06on the way to meeting the morning's first new arrival.
0:18:06 > 0:18:12It's Mark from the chaplaincy. This is Huw, who is with me.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14He is a trainee vicar.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- How are you feeling, not very good? - No.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22What the offence?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Er, sexual.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27OK. What religion are you?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Would you say you're an atheist?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Don't believe in anything? So you are saying you're an agnostic, not really bothered.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Yeah.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42That's fine. I leave you to it. Right, let's go.
0:18:42 > 0:18:48Obviously the gentleman didn't want to engage very much
0:18:48 > 0:18:50so I couldn't really draw you in to the interview.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52We just needed to get the information we needed.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57When you say he's on remand, is that...? He's been charged or..?
0:18:57 > 0:19:01He's been charged but basically, the nature of the offence means
0:19:01 > 0:19:05he has to be held in custody until that time.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06- So it's until the trial.- Yeah.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Let's see if we can get to the next one now.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12For a chaplain like Mark, who's been in the role for many years,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14there's not much he hasn't seen or confronted.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18But for a student like Huw, it's going to be a long and challenging day.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Sometimes he comes over as not having the confidence in certain situations
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and hopefully this will boost up his confidence.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29"I work in Cardiff Prison, I've dealt with some quite serious things.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"They were thrown on my toes, I had to sit and talk to new prisoners,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36"I had to visit people in a punishment block in healthcare.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38"And I coped. I got through that,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42"and people thought what I did was not silly or off the wall."
0:19:42 > 0:19:44I don't have any authority.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48So I don't know how much you're supposed to say, "Oi, behave,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50"get back in your cell", sort of thing, or...
0:19:50 > 0:19:53It's a very strange thing to get used to,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56how much to be authoritarian and how much not to be.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Former bank manager and father of three, Steven Bunting,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04now in his third year, has delivered many sermons.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08But today is the first time that vice principal Steven Roberts
0:20:08 > 0:20:09will hear him in the pulpit.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Having learnt that some of the best sermons come from personal experience,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18will his very personal message convince the congregation,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19and the judge?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I'll talk about the fact that I used to work in a bank.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27I used to get well paid. In some ways you've gained the whole world,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29but you've lost your soul,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and taking it across what are the consequences of following Jesus.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35The last words were put together last night.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39I did most of it Tuesday but then I let it fester over a few days.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Well, in fact, I just changed two words in the car,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45before I got out the car. Last minute additions. But, yeah.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47No, it's I'm fairly confident it should be OK.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52But is Steven's confidence really justified?
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I used to have to go to people's houses to ask them
0:20:55 > 0:20:58for loan payments if they'd missed them,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and see the desperate situation they were in.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05We used to have huge targets to sell insurance to customers
0:21:05 > 0:21:07which may not necessarily need it,
0:21:07 > 0:21:12and I felt like I was receiving money for ruining other people's lives.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14And I couldn't do it any more.
0:21:14 > 0:21:20So I had a choice to make, and the choice I made was to follow Jesus,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24and trust that he would work out a plan for me in my life.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30So, what does vice principal Steven Roberts make of the sermon?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33I'm very happy with what I've heard.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I think it can be very, very effective when people talk about
0:21:35 > 0:21:38their own experiences when preaching
0:21:38 > 0:21:43because it shows that the text has in fact spoken to them.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46For me, this was one of the easiest sermons I've ever written,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48cos as soon as I saw the passage, I was like,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51this sums up my life in the last ten years.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I think we've all got to question what every aspect of job,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57whether it's banker, doctor, teacher. Whatever it is.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Are we doing the best? If we're trying to follow Jesus,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02does that live out in the job that we do?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Back in Cardiff Prison,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08the challenges don't get any tougher than this.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13The chaplains play a special role for prisoners who are on suicide watch,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18offering a sympathetic ear to those at the end of their tether.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19What's your first name?
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Aaron.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22- Aaron.- Yeah.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Hiya. I'm just checking on you.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27What's been up?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I've been having bad thoughts, that's all.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31Have you?
0:22:31 > 0:22:34My missus and kid got me down when I first come in.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Yeah.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36It's my first time in here as well.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39So I just thought about killing myself.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Did you? So how are you feeling now?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I still have my bad thoughts in the night, getting better in the days,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48but it's the nights more than anything.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Cos you've got time on your hands, it's difficult to work out...
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Mmm. It's just frustrating.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Yeah.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57And with him as well, he's getting older.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58How old's he?
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Two now. The only thing that stopped me.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Well, that's a very positive thought.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Like I came that close...
0:23:07 > 0:23:08That's your partner, is it?
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Yeah.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12She's far too pretty for you. Look at you!
0:23:12 > 0:23:15She looks lovely! That's what you've got to live for, isn't it?
0:23:15 > 0:23:16That's very important.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Keep that in front of you when you have the silly thoughts.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Wednesday, I nearly came close cos they showed up late for the visit.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26It's the first visit since I've been in.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I only had 15 minutes with 'em so I went a bit off my head then.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33But fair enough, they've got someone here that listens,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37so he listened to me, so I got through it.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Excellent.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Keep thinking positive, right? You take care of yourself.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42- And you. Thank you.- No problem.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47The chaplains are expected to keep a close eye on vulnerable prisoners,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and have procedures to flag up risks of self-harm.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Obviously you can see there, we had a conversation
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and he's thinking about things in the future,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59he's thinking about his child, his partner,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02so he reacted when he come in but he's now thinking more sensibly.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04So that's the sort of situation.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Looking at it, obviously there are other issues
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and we have to weigh that up but from my conversation in there,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15I feel in some senses he's more positively thinking, looking forward.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Yeah? I'll just put a little comment to that effect.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20With the first day drawing to a close,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25how's Huw coping with the overwhelming experiences of the prison?
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It's certainly an eye-opener.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31It'll take quite a bit of getting used to being in here.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34The vicar is very much still the centre of community.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Sadly that's been lost in the rest of society.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39So er...
0:24:39 > 0:24:42I might gain ways of bringing that back.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It's the sermon X-Factor final
0:24:47 > 0:24:50and Roz has to face a bustling city centre church with a congregation
0:24:50 > 0:24:54that includes the Simon Cowell of the preaching world,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57St Michael's vice principal Steven Roberts.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Roz's main concern is what she might say in the heat of the pulpit.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06When I get nervous, I tend to revert to only a few subjects.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09They shouldn't really be talked about on a pulpit, so...!
0:25:09 > 0:25:14I get the shakes and I feel sick,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17and you have to live with it and get over it.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22You've just got to pace around beforehand, not talk to anybody.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25It's a bit like going on for a rugby match actually.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27You get in your mindset your own way.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Stressed and anxious. There we go.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34And there's just time for a final word of advice
0:25:34 > 0:25:36from an experienced parish priest.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Just go for it, you'll be fine. Go for it and stick with it.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Stick with what you've written. You've written it. Deliver it.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45You'll be fine. You'll be fine.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47No turning back now.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Steven Roberts and the rest of the congregation
0:25:50 > 0:25:52are ready to hang on Roz's every word.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I recently watched America's Next Top Model,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00which is a trashy TV programme, like a talent show to become a model.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05It had an episode where a marketing director came in
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and told these beautiful women that a word,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11a single word, should be what their fans and audiences
0:26:11 > 0:26:13relate to them with.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16So what do you think your word is?
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Are you organised? Spontaneous?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Adaptable? Creative?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24I wonder if any of us believe our word to be
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Christian, religious or faithful?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I thought it went very well indeed. She was obviously nervous
0:26:31 > 0:26:36but the nerves didn't detract from what she was doing.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I could clearly hear her very clearly, very audibly.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42You should be the best that you can be and like, if you're not
0:26:42 > 0:26:46then you're falling short of that marker, and of your own potential.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I'd stopped taking notes and I was listening
0:26:49 > 0:26:51and I was thinking about how this related to me,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and so I thought if she can take me out of sermon assessment mode
0:26:54 > 0:26:57into reflection mode, that's pretty good.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I felt really rushed. I can't remember how it went.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I felt like I missed pages.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06I felt stressed and nervous during it,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08and I felt completely disheartened.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10And... Yeah.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13There was a real passion I thought,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16a real underlying sense of speaking to people
0:27:16 > 0:27:19about something that mattered, that was important.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But back at the college,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Roz has very mixed feelings about the first term.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30The routine of academic study is not really what she had in mind.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Her younger sister has come to take her home for the weekend,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and she's got a lot of thinking to do.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I can't say that I've particularly enjoyed every moment of it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Erm...
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Talked about leaving, talked about staying,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46talked about changing stuff,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49being really lazy when it came to morning prayer
0:27:49 > 0:27:51because I got annoyed and frustrated.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I haven't helped anybody since I've been here,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57which is rubbish, cos I like helping.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01It'd be so much easier just to... do something different.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Yeah, itchy feet is just going to play hell.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Next time -
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Huw makes new friends behind the bars of Cardiff Prison...
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- Was he all right?- Nice meeting you. - Sure now?
0:28:15 > 0:28:18..Roz seeks an escape from college life...
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Gets out some pent-up aggression. It's good to have a run around.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25..and vicar-to-be Marcus finds hope in Merthyr.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Yeah, it's quite an inspirational operation.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd