The 1 March celebrates Saint David, Bishop and the Patron Saint of Wales. So, “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus” to all my Welsh friends – don’t forget to wear your Daffodils and Leeks with pride!

But who was Saint David?

Evidence concerning David (Dewi) dates from the late eleventh century and refers to his father being a chieftain from Ceredigion and his mother being St Non.

Facts concerning his life are few, but legends abound and it is virtually impossible to disentangle them. One of the few certain facts concerns his presence at the Synod of Brefi in 560, although the account of the eloquent speech he gave is in all probability fiction.

The village of Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion still boasts the earth mound which was said to have miraculously risen beneath David’s feet in order to make him more visible and audible as he denounced the Pelagian heresy.

David became Patron Saint of Wales in the twelfth century. He was a representative of the Celtic Christian tradition, generally a non-hierarchical movement, with a distinct spirituality, whose bishops had freedom to roam across borders.

It is probable that the account of his life written by Bishop Rhygyfarch in the eleventh century was designed to support claims for the independence of Welsh bishops from the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

According to this account of his life David was educated at Hen Vynyw (possibly modern Aberaeron) and studied under Paulinus. He founded up to ten monasteries which followed Egyptian monastic tradition involving a very rigorous regime. The monasteries were highly influential on both Welsh and Irish monasticism.

David devoted himself to mercy and acts of charity, and was recorded as taking cold baths and eating only bread and water. He became Bishop of Menevia – legend says that he was consecrated in Jerusalem while on pilgrimage – which later was re-named after him as St David’s. He died in 601.

The commemoration of David is a reminder of the contribution of the Celtic tradition to the heritage of the Church, a tradition which has often been overshadowed by a historical bias to Rome, and a greater wealth of written material surviving from Canterbury.

A Prayer for Saint David’s Day

Almighty God,
who called your servant David
to be a faithful and wise steward of your mysteries
for the people of Wales:
in your mercy, grant that,
following his purity of life and zeal for the gospel of Christ,
we may with him receive the crown of everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Revd Paul A. Carr and extract from ‘Saints on Earth: A biographical companion to Common Worship’  by John H Darch and Stuart K Burns