 Especially in his early years as Archbishop, he sought very successfully priestly vocations, and a good number were ordained by him during his tenure.Archbishop Ward was very prominent during the miners' strike; he went to London to meet with the Secretary of State for Energy.He also made a prominent response to the famine in Ethiopia which led to an appeal that raised a substantial sum of over £100,000; it culminated in a large attendance at Mass in Cardiff Arms Park on 6 June 1985.