St Mary Magdalene

The Church of St Mary Magdalene serves the communities of Tonyrefail, Ynyshir and Porth with their surrounding districts in the Rhondda Fach.  A small but committed congregation of 35-50 souls worships at 4 pm on Sundays. The main sanctuary is cosy, welcoming, disabled friendly and accessible. A lower storey below the sanctuary incorporates a small hall, but access is limited to stairs only. The current church dates from the 1997, when it was built to replace the 1929 church destroyed in a fire. Administrative and pastoral management is shared with Ss Gabriel & Raphael in Tonypandy, which collectively form the Rhondda Parish under the pastoral care of Sr Berenice O’Dwyer SSJA.

The Church is open for worship on Sundays and Thursdays:

  • Sunday: 3.30 Confession – 4.00 Mass.
  • Thursday: 5.30 pm Adoration – 6.10 Evening Prayer – 6.30 Mass

Registers Held from St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Ynyshir

Registers for Sacraments and Funerals celebrated at St Mary Magdalene are now held at Ss Gabriel & Raphael Church in Tonypandy. Following the amalgamation of St Mary Magdalene into the Rhondda Parish on 20 November 2024, new entries are now made into the Rhondda Parish Registers.

Registers we hold are as follows:

  • Baptism Register (B1.4): 30 October 1932 – 30 March 2024
  • Reception Register (R1): 18 December 1978 – 19 May 2024
  • Confirmation Register (C4): 15 April 1934 – 19 May 2024
  • Funeral Register (D1.3): 18 February 1933 – 23 September 2014 (after which the Tonypandy Register was used)

Registers which were closed more than 100 years ago are often deposited elsewhere. We have not verified the locations of our past registers but you may have success at the Glamorgan Country Records Office or the Archdiocese of Cardiff Archive. We are uncertain of the whereabouts of any ecclesiastical marriage register linked to St Mary Magdalene – it may have perished in the 1993 fire.

Directions to St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Ynyshir

Postal address:

St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Gynor Avenue, PORTH. CF39 0NH

By car, take the A4233 to the turning signposted for “Ynyshir & Trealaw” which is directly underneath a footbridge. At the T-junction turn right, and take the first left, which is a hairpin bend. Merge on to the road above with a gentle left, and the church will soon appear on the left side. On-street parking is unrestricted, but please be considerate of homes with disabled parking notices displayed.

By train, alight at Porth (railcode POR) – it will take about 15 minutes to reach the church.

By bus, Stagecoach routes 124, 131, 132, 133 and X32 call at stops rhojtpg & rhojtpj on Llanwonno Road; walk south for a couple of minutes and alongside the road sign indicating a right turn for Pontypridd thereis a flight of stairs leading up the valley-side to Gynor Avenue, emerging alongside the church boundary wall.