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| The mosaic of St David of Wales at Westminster Cathedral (artist: Ifor Davies) photo (c) Mazur/www.thepapalvisit.org.uk published under a creative commons licence (source: The Papal Visit Flickr account) |
Today is the Feast Day of St David of Wales, the great patron saint of the Welsh – or ancient Britons. This 6th century Saint is known in Welsh as Dewi Sant, Sant Dafydd or Dewi Ddyfrwr (David the Waterman). This latter title alludes to the ascetic form of monasticism that he promoted, which only allowed the drinking of water, as well as to his missionary zeal, which saw him baptise many souls. To read my biography of St David (one of my longer posts!), please click here.
Heddiw, yr ydym yn dathlu Dydd Gŵyl Dewi yng Nghymru. Dewi yw ein nawddsant, nid yn unig fel Cymry, ond fel hen Frythoniaid, hefyd. Un o hen deitlau'r mynach arbennig hwn o'r 6ed ganrif yw "Dewi Ddyfrwr". Mae'r teitl hwn yn cyfeirio at y math o fynachaeth asgetig yr oedd o'n ei fyw - yn ôl ei reol, roedd rhaid i Ddewi a'i fynaich fyw ar ddŵr a pherlysiau'n unig. Yn ogystal, mae'r teitl hynafol hwn yn cyfeirio at sêl genhadol ein nawddsant, oherwydd iddo fedyddio nifer fawr o eneidiau. I ddarganfod mwy am ein nawddsant, dilynwch y ddolen hon i ddarllen yr hyn a ysgrifennais y llynedd.
To celebrate St David's Day, I thought I'd share these two YouTube videos with you. Please don't be put off by the first video, even though it appears to be some kind of celebration of modern Welsh celebrity and secularism, for it does become a bit more profound towards the end. Skip to around 3:45min, if you get bored of looking at images of Gavin Henson and Dame Shirley Bassey! I'm glad to say that whoever created this film decided to use the image of St David as found in Ifor Davies' Westminster Cathedral mosaic - an artwork which was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the UK in 2010.
The second video is a brief introduction to the life of St David, which, unfortunately, seems to concentrate a bit too much on the myth as opposed to the reality - which happens to be far more interesting! Also, as engaging as this little film is, I feel the need to point out that although David was responsible for conversions to the Christian faith (as mentioned in the clip), his principal mission was one of reaffirming Catholicism amongst the ancient Britons. Another thing that proved to be rather distracting was the narrator's French accent when speaking the part of St Justinian the Breton. At the time, both the Breton and Welsh languages were practically identical. Bar those little irritations, I hope you enjoy the video!
And don't forget to visit the website of Father David Jones, the Welsh-speaking Catholic priest and hermit, who also happens to celebrate and promote the traditional Mass in Ireland! Here is a link to one of his most recent videos, which was taken during a celebration of Mass for the Feast of St David (2012). It contains a sermon delivered both in Welsh and English - in which the theme of holy silence is expounded upon.
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 lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Dewi Sant, gweddia drosom ni
St David, pray for us
14 comments:
Maybe some day the foreigners will leave East Wales so the aborigines can reclaim their patrimony.
>sarcasm off
St. David, Pray for us!
;)
LOL!
Yes, indeed...
Holy St David, pray for us!
Dear Dylan,
A Happy and Glorious Saint David's Day to you!
The Faith is one, the Truth is one, the goal is the same-but, the tasks, the method and the means vary according to each individual genius taking the initiative, and, according to the nation to which he or she belongs.
Saint David was a genius, a worthy Son of Wales. Let us imitate his gentleness, missionary zeal and iron-clad Faith in Our Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint David - Pray for Us today and always!
As a West Wales foreigner all I can say is "A good post and a Happy St David's Day Dylan".
Thank you, Richard... And a happy St David's Day to you, too.
Thank you, Anne!
I will remember you at Mass today.
A Happy St David's Day, Dylan!!! My grandchildren telephoned before school to say that I must not forget to wear my daffodil, followed by "Cymru Am Byth!"
God bless
Sonia
Dylan,
A happy St. David's Day to You and All your readers!
Our Lady & St David pray for Wales!
Cheers,
Michael.
Thank you, Sonia...
Yes, I'd better go out and find one myself!
D
Thank you, Michael!
God bless,
D
@A Reluctant Sinner
Happy St David's Day to you, yours, and the Guild of the Blessed Titus Brandsma too.
As well as it being St David's Day it is my old school Addey & Stanhope's FOUNDERS DAY today, and it is also the beginning of the Deptford Lounge Launch Week. Inside the Deptford Lounge I gave Gavin Barlow the Albany CEO my individual FARE legal anti-Nazi update, as Gavin has a hard copy of the Regina v Hobson 1991 trial manuscript that underpins my FOOTBALL AGAINST RACISM IN EUROPE 1991-2012 Thames Gateway City Challenge development work. I also gave the Architect Andrew Beharrell www.ptea.co.uk the same information as I had given Gavin, and Andrew so loved the fact that I was a former pupil of Tidemill School that he gave me his business card. I also gave the Mayor of Lewisham Steve Bullock the Addey & Stanhope School FOUNDERS DAY service sheet from this morning, and I then sang "When I needed a neighbor" a hymn by Sydney Carter to anybody who cared to listen, as the very same song had brought tears to my eyes earlier this morning when I sang it along with the children of Addey & Stanhope School at St Alfege's Church in Royal Greenwich SE10. The Rev Chris Moody was also given the same FARE legal anti-Nazi update that I later gave to Gavin Barlow & Andrew Beharrell.
Words
When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter
Were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter
Were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter
Were you there?
When I needed a shelter, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter
Were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter
Were you there?
St David pray for us!
Thanks for you great post.
One word of correction. St. David was not a defender or promoter of the Catholic faith!
St. David was an Archbishop in the Celtic Church, made Archbishop by the Patriarch of Jerusalem according to his biographer, Rhigyfarch. He lived during the height of the Celtic Church when Celtic Christianity was virtually the only form of Christianity in the British Isles. Partly because Britain is an island and partly because it was at the very edge of the Roman empire, Celtic Christianity developed its own theology and organisation, independently of the Catholic Church in Rome.
When the Saxons invaded in the fifth century and destroyed the power of many of the Celtic Christian centres in England, Christians in the remoter parts, such as Wales, Cornwall, and Ireland, became even more isolated from Rome.
For further information see: The Celtic Church in Britain, Leslie Hardinge, SPCK.
Just a correction.
Thank you for your blog.
Despite your well-meaning fantasy, there was never any such thing as the Celtic Church. In fact the Britons never called themselves Celtic, which is a term that only became popular in recent centuries.
The antient British Church stood firmly within the Catholic Church and always remained in communion with Rome. Throughout the Saxon invasions, British and Irish bishops remained in constant communication with Rome, relying on the old city of Empire both for practical assistance and as the See of St Peter.
I'm afriad for you that I am not someone easily impressed by pseudo-history publoshed in some SPCK publication. I have spent several years studing this period at university level - including some time under the well-respected Anglican historian of the early British Church, the late Canon A M Allchin.
Thank you for your compliments, though I seriously suggest you may wish to reconsider the 'Celtic Church' myth and possibly try some objective history instead.
The British Church at the time of St David, as well as later on (when there may have been liturgical tensions) was very much a part of the Catholic Church, and was in communion with Rome.
I'm sorry for any typos in this comment and if it seems harsh or unkind, I am writing it in a rush whilst travelling on a train.
God bless.
Thank you, Roy!
God bless,
D
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