READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 9 March 2014 | Page 31

A Forgotten Saint (at least in America)

As we prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s
Day, it might be wise for us in America to
remember a saint who was as important to
our Welsh ancestors as St. Patrick is to our
Irish ones. I refer of course to Saint David,
the patron saint of Wales, whose feast day
is March 1. David’s mother, a nun,
conceived David as the result of being
raped by a local prince. Rising above this unhappy origin, David became
bishop of Menevia, founded numerous churches, established his own
monastic rule, remained active until he was nearly a hundred, and is said to
have made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to legend, he was made an
archbishop by the Patriarch of Jerusalem himself. The Welsh church
eventually demanded a status equal to that of Canterbury on the strength of
this story. However, popular imagination, captivated by David, went much
farther, asserting, for example, that David had a horse that could run across
the waves of the sea as easily as across land. David was also looked upon as
a future deliverer, someone under whose standard the Welsh would
eventually triumph just when all seemed lost. David is honored by Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican Christians as the patron saint of Wales,
Pembrokeshire (where his cathedral, pictured above, is located),
vegetarians, and poets. The connection with poets is interesting, because
according to legend, David is related to the original Taliesin, King Arthur’s
bard, who was said to be his half-brother’s foster son. It was in this context
that I first ran across David while doing research for my first novel.
Interestingly, David is also said to be related King Arthur himself. His
popular stature is illustrated by the number of different contexts in which he
appears. As March rolls around, let us not forget that cultural traditions are
important, and that Saint Patrick is not the only figure revered by our
ancestors. Saint David also should be remembered, and the daffodil should
take its place beside the shamrock.
Sources: The information comes from http://fullhomelydivinity.org/articles/Dewi%20Sant.htm and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_David . The cover for Divided against Yourselves was designed
by Michael Federman. All other graphics are licensed from http://www.shutterstock.com . The
green background is copyrighted by Alina G. and St. David’s Cathedral by Martin Tomanek.