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Commemoration of David of Wales

March 1

If you are lucky enough to be in Wales on March the first, you would find the country in a festive mood, because everyone is celebrating St. David's Day. David (Dewi, Dewid) lived during what has been called the golden age of Celtic Christianity, when many men of noble rank, including kings, princes, and chieftains, chose to renounce privilege and live the monastic life, build oratories and churches, and travel the countryside preaching the Gospel. St. Cadoc founded the great monastery of Llancarfan. St. Illtyd turned away from the life of a soldier and became a mystic, establishing the abbey of Llantwit, where tradition links him to Sir Galahad. But Welsh tradition says the greatest among them was David, cousin of Cadoc and pupil of Illtyd, born at Henfynw in Cardigan, educated at Carmarathen and who founded the monastery of Menevia in the place that bears his name.

Almost all of the information we have about David is based on an 11th century biography written by Rhygyfarch. Because approximately 500 years passed between David’s life and the writing of this biography, and because Rhygyfarch was reputed to have had controversial ecclesiastical motives, it isn’t clear how much of the history of David's life is legend rather than fact.

There is no certainty about dates in the life of St. David, except that we do know he was a real person. His father was King Xantus, a prince of Cardigan in far western Wales. The year of his birth is estimated to be sometime between 454 and 520. Some accounts say that his mother, St. Non (or Nonna), was a professed nun of noble birth who was raped by King Xantus, who saw her while he was riding through a field and was overcome by her beauty and his lust for her. As a result, Non was unmarried at the time David was born, and he was raised in her convent during his early childhood. Some versions of this story claim that Non and Xantus married right before or right after David’s birth, but all accounts agree that St. Non nurtured David carefully in the Christian faith from a very young age, and many of his fine qualities of character are attributed to Non’s early influence. Further legend has it that Non was a niece of King Arthur. She spent the later years of her life in a convent in Brittany.

As a young adult, David was educated in a monastery called Hen Fynyw, studying on an unidentified island for several years under the blind monk St. Paulinus, the disciple of St. Germanus of Auxerre. David then worked as a missionary and founded 12 monasteries and more than 50 churches from Croyland to Pembrokeshire. His last foundation was the best known, at the lovely and lonely outpost of Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales.

David’s order at Menevia was known for the extreme asceticism of its rule, reputedly based on that of Egyptian monks. The Rule was strict: the brothers ate only one meal a day of bread with vegetables and salt, and they drank only water, occasionally mingled with a little milk. David and his monks also observed frequent fasts of several days at a time. Although they were a silent order, with long hours of unbroken silence, they never ceased praying mentally, even when at work. Their days were filled with hard manual labor and no plough was permitted in the work of the fields: "Every man his own ox," St. David reportedly said. In addition to agricultural work, David and his brethren supported themselves through a variety of other practical crafts, including beekeeping. The monks also practiced a ministry of hospitality, caring for many pilgrims and travellers who needed lodgings. They also fed and clothed the poor and needy who lived in the towns and villages near the monastery.

David followed an even more rigorous discipline than his brother monks. Long after vespers, when others had retired to bed, he would often pray alone all through the night. It is claimed that David ate only bread and herbs - probably watercress, which was widely used at the time. Despite this meager diet, it is reported that he was tall and physically strong. He was known for long fasts during which he drank nothing but water for several days, and he came to be known as David the Waterman or David the Water Drinker. Sometimes, as a self-imposed penance, he would stand up to his neck in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture. This water connection is also applied to descriptions of his ministry: of his missionary work it is said that "He opened many fountains in dry places.” In spite of his extreme ascetic lifestyle we are told that he was of a lovable and happy disposition, and was an attractive and persuasive preacher. He was so widely admired for his strength of character and dedication to worship that it is not surprising that when the time came for the appointment of a new archbishop of Wales the choice fell upon him.

Perhaps the most well-known event in David's life is said to have taken place at the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi. This great synod, convened in Cardiganshire around the year 550, was reportedly attended by a thousand members; but David, who kept aloof from temporal concerns, remained in his retreat at Menevia. The synod, however, insisted on sending for him. David at first refused, but eventually came forward with great reluctance. So great was the crowd and so intense the excitement that the voice of the aged and retiring archbishop St. Dubricius could hardly be heard when he named David as his successor. When David finally stood up to speak, someone shouted, 'We won't be able to see or hear him'. According to legend, a miracle occurred, and the ground rose up until everyone could see and hear David, and a white dove was seen to settle upon his shoulders as a sign of God's grace and blessing.

In art, St. David is usually depicted as a bishop with long hair and a beard, and a dove perched on his shoulder. He may be shown preaching on a hill, or holding his cathedral. He is the patron saint of Wales and in that language he is known as Dewi Sant. He is especially venerated in Pembrokeshire. David is also called the patron saint of poets. Because he was reportedly born to an unwed mother as the result of rape, David has become important to some in the pro-life/anti-abortion movement. No one seems to know the explanation for the association of leeks with St. David's Day as mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry V. However, it is still the custom today in many parts of Wales to drink leek broth and wear leeks and daffodils on St. David’s Day.

It is claimed that David lived for over 100 years. His last words to his followers were in a sermon on the Sunday before he died: “Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.” “Do the little things” ('Gwnewch y pethau bychain') is today a very well-known phrase in Welsh, and has proved an inspiration to many. David died at Menevia, and his body was buried on the grounds of his monastery in Pembrokeshire where the Cathedral of St. David now stands. Estimates of the year of his death range from 560 to 601. His feast day is celebrated on March 1.

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