Saint of the Day: St. David of Wales (March 1)
- Beata Vita
- Mar 1
- 2 min read
“Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me.”
The last words echoed by St. David of Wales rings true even today. We celebrate the feast day of St. David of Wales today on March 1. Now, who was St. David? Let’s dive in.
Before the patron saint of Wales was born, an angel predicted his birth to St. Patrick 30 years prior. He was born around 500 AD during a fierce storm by his mother, Non, on the cliffs of Pembrokeshire. His birthplace is denoted by the ruins of Non’s chapel and a well close by is said to have healing powers.
St. Non's Chapel Ruins
Holy Well, that has purported healings associated with it
On top of that, his grandfather was a king, King Cedrigeg of Ceredigion, and his mother was a nun who conceived David from an assault perpetrated by a local cheiftan. His mother, Non, continued to live a holy life and was later cannonized.
Despite being born in a storm, St. David lived a more simple life. He worked with monks, tilling fields without the help of oxen, and restricted himself to consuming only vegetables and water. It is believed he ate only leeks, leading to the national symbol of Wales becoming a leek.
He also preached and founded monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany and south-west England (per BBC). Most notably, the Glastonbury abbey. In addition, he set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and brought back a rock that now sits on an altar at St. Davids Cathedral. The cathedral was built on the site of his original monastery.
St. David's Cathedral in Wales
Inside St. David's Cathedral
Once, he was preaching to a large crowd in Llanddewi Brefi. The folks at the back had trouble hearing him, so the ground was said to have rose up to a hill and then, they could hear him. A white dove, sent by God, flew and settled on his shoulder.
He died on March 1, 589 AD, and he’s buried at St. David’s Cathedral. The quote at the start of this post were his last words uttered to his monks.
"Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me"
Today, he lives on through the Wales phrase Gwnewch y pethau bychain meaning “Do the little things.” Something we can all aspire to and remember, even today.
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