Celtic and Old English Saints 1 March =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * St. David of Wales * St. Marnock of Annandale * St. Monan of St. Andrew's * St. Aubin of Angers =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. David (Dewi Sant) of Wales, Bishop -------------------------------------------------- 5th or 6th century. There is no certainty about the date though we know that St. David was a real personage, son of King Sant, a prince of Cardigan in far western Wales. All the information we have about him is based on the 11th century biography written by Rhygyfarch, the son of Bishop Sulien of St. David's. Rhygyfarch's main purpose was to uphold the claim of the Welsh bishopric to be independent of Canterbury, so little reliance can be placed on the document. David, who may have been born at Henfynw in Cardigan, lived during the golden age of Celtic Christianity when saints were plentiful, many of them of noble rank--kings, princes, and chieftain--who lived the monastic life, built oratories and churches, and preached the Gospel. Saint Cadoc founded the great monastery of Llancarfan. Saint Illtyd turned from the life of a soldier to that of a mystic and established the abbey of Llantwit, where tradition links his name to that of Sir Galahad. But greatest among them was David, cousin of Cadoc and pupil of Illtyd, who was educated in the White House of Carmarathen and who founded the monastery of Menevia in the place that now bears his name. According to his biography, David became a priest, studied under Saint Paulinus, the disciple of Saint Germanus of Auxerre, on an unidentified island for several years. He then engaged in missionary activities, founded 12 monasteries from Croyland to Pembrokeshire, the last of which, at Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales, was known for the extreme asceticism of its rule, which was based on that of the Egyptian monks. Here in this lovely and lonely outpost he gathered his followers. The Rule was strict, with but one daily meal, frequent fasts, and hours of unbroken silence. Their days were filled with hard manual labour and no plough was permitted in the work of the fields. "Every man his own ox," said St. David. Nor did David exempt himself from the same rigorous discipline: he drank nothing but water and so came to be known as David the Waterman; and long after vespers, when the last of his monks had retired to bed, he prayed on alone through the night. We are told that he was of a loveable and happy disposition, and an attractive and persuasive preacher. It was perhaps his mother, the saintly Non, who had nurtured him carefully in the Christian faith, that he owed so many of his own fine qualities. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the time came for the appointment of a new archbishop of Wales the choice fell upon him. At Brevi, in Cardiganshire, a great synod had been convened about 550, 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. So great was the crowd and so intense the excitement that the voice of the aged and retiring archbishop Saint Dubricius could hardly be heard when he named David as his successor. David, who at first refused, came forward reluctantly, but when he spoke his voice was like a silver trumpet, and all could hear and were deeply moved; and in that hour of his succession a white dove was seen to settle upon his shoulders as if it were a sign of God's grace and blessing. It is said that David was consecrated archbishop by the patriarch of Jerusalem and given an altar stone by him while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But he loved Menevia and could not bring himself to leave it for Caerleon, the seat of the archbishopric, which he transferred to his own monastery by the wild headlands of the western sea, and which to this day is known by his name and remains a place of pilgrimage. Again, although evidence is unreliable, David convened a council, called the Synod of Victory, because it marked the final demise of Pelagianism, ratified the edicts of Brevi, and drew up regulations for the British Church. Giraldus tells us that in his time congregations and monasteries grew all over Wales and "to these Father David, as if placed upon a lofty eminence was a mirror and pattern of life". "He opened," we are told, "many fountains in dry places, and across the centuries his words spoken in the hour of death still reach us: "Brothers and sisters, be joyful and keep your faith and do ther little things." On the last Sunday before his death after he had received the Holy Sacrament he gave the people his blessing bidding them to be joyful and to keep the Faith for they would see him no more in this world. He died on the Tuesday 1st March and the monks cried out with anguish "Who will hlep us? Who will pray for us? Who will be a father to us as David was?" St.David was buried in his cathedral and his tomb became, and still is, a great place of pilgrimage. even the Norman Kings William the Conqueror and Henry II visiting it to pay homage. Bishop Richard Carew rebuilt the Cathedral Church largely from offerings at the Shrine and the relics were translated to their present position to the north side of the presbytery in 1275. His birth and death dates are uncertain, ranging from c. 454 to 520 for the former and from 560 to 601 for the latter (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Gill, Wade- Evans). In art, St. David is a Celtic 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 especially venerated in Pembrokeshire (Roeder). No one seems to have a satisfactory explanation regarding the association of leeks with St. David's Day as in Shakespeare's Henry V, IV, 1 (Attwater). But..... The leek, and later the daffodil was chosen as the Welsh emblem because of the colour of the leaves, green above ground and white below, corresponding to the colours of the national standard with its red dragon. It is believed that St. David advised King Cadwallader to distinguish his warriors from the heathen Saxon in battle with the leek and it would have had the added advantage of making them recognisable in the dark by the aroma of their insignia! St. David's Cathedral lies in a hollow in the rugged Goewer peninsular called in Welsh Mynyw, transliterated into Latin as Menevia, the most western tip of Britain. The place is pure enchantment, the uneven floor of the great church seems to move with spiritual power and the little oaken casket containing the relics of David and Justinian, his confessor and "soul friend", would move the most sceptical. Every pilgrim should walk the mile or so up the narrow country lane to St. Non's Well and chapel, overlooking the rocky coastline with its small islands, for this is reputed to be the birthplace of Dewi Sant or St. David. Troparion (Tone 1) Having worked miracles in thy youth, founded monasteries and converted the pagans who had sought to destroy thee, O Father David, Christ our God blessed thee to receive the episcopate at the place of His Resurrection. Intercede for us, that our lives may be blessed and our souls may be saved. Kontakion (Tone 6) The living waters of godly discipline encompassed thee and the saving waters of faith flowed through thy teaching, O Hierarch and Waterman David. Symbolising the baptism of Wales in thy life, thou art worthy of all praise, wherefore we keep festival in thy honour, glorifying thine eternal memory. Icons of Saint David of Wales: http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-David.htm##1 http://www.saintdavid.org.uk/gifs/icon.gif St. David's Cathedral and Shrine: http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/plan.htm The Shrine of Saint David and Saint Justinian http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/shrine.htm The modern reliquary is behind the seats of those attending services in a pretty chapel dedicated to The Trinity. http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/trinity.htm St. Marnock of Annandale, Bishop (Marnanus, Marnan, Marnoc) --------------------------------------------------------- Died c. 625. An Irish monk under St. Columba (f.d. June 9) at Iona, and afterwards a missionary bishop, who died at Annandale, and was much venerated in the neighbourhood of the Scottish border. He has given his name to Kilmarnock in Scotland. He has a second feast day on October 25 (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). St. Monan of St. Andrew's, Martyr --------------------------------------------------------- Died 874. Scottish monk trained under St. Adrian of St. Andrew's, St. Monan was a missionary in the country around the Firth of Forth. He and a large number of other Christians were killed together by the Danes (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). St. Albinus (Aubin) of Angers, Bishop --------------------------------------------------------- Born in Vannes, Brittany, France; died c. 554. Here is another saint of whose childhood we know next to nothing, except that he was of Irish and English descent and lived in Brittany. He comes out of the unknown and enters, as it were, another unknown--for after renouncing the fortune of his father, he enters the cloistered life, giving himself to prayer and silence and solitude. At the age of 35, he was abbot of Tincillac Monastery near Angers. The stories that come down to us show one thing quite clearly: He is a man who detests anything that is adulterated, whether it be the Rule of St. Benedict, the sacraments of the Christian faith, or the human body. We might say of him that his mouth never lost its taste for spring water. In 529 the people of Angers succeeded in having Albinus chosen as their bishop, not so much because they respected his concern for their faith but because they knew his upright character would protect them well against the civil and military authorities. These people knew how to pick someone to protect their interests. Albinus soon came into conflict with Childebert, the son of Clovis. A certain noble lady named Etheria, unable to pay her debts, was thrown into prison, and called for her bishop to visit her. Bishops like Albinus have the sacraments in their blood, in their muscles, in their hands, in their mouths, in their very gestures; so that when Etheria and Albinus were attacked by one of the guards, Albinus simply blew a puff of breath upon the guard who (tradition says) died upon the spot. If the story is true, or even if it were untrue but believed in locally, it is not hard to understand how the authority and fear of Albinus spread rapidly throughout the territory, or to explain why the creditors cancelled the debts of all prisoners at the simple suggestion of the new bishop. Albinus's next project was to release all the prisoners from another jail at Angers, not that he failed to recognise the inmates were criminals rather than gentle lambs, but because he lost faith in the prison system, at least the one in his see. He went to the judge and requested amnesty; but when he was refused, he convoked a huge gathering of his flock about the prison, led everyone in prayer until a huge stone was released, which plunged through the walls of the jail. Out came the prisoners, like water through a spout, to be led to the bishop's church where they were busy with prayers and promises of amendment through the night. No biographer has ever suggested that these prisoners to a man were converted into saints, but the bishop no doubt believed their release was considerably better than the brutality of prison life in those days. Albinus convoked local councils, reformed his church, fought abuses in civil and ecclesiastical marriage laws, and opposed errors of faith. He took a prominent role in the third council of Orleans in 538. His popularity is beyond dispute as is shown by the very number of towns named for him. Legend reports that whole villages were converted and baptized together as a result of his preaching. Albinus did not die a martyr, rather his body simply wore out. The abbey of Saint-Aubin in Angers was erected in his memory. Saint-Aubin de Moeslain (Haute Marne) is even today a popular place of pilgrimage (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia). In art, St. Albinus is portrayed as a blind bishop. He is venerated at Angers, Brittany, Haute Marne, and is invoked for children in danger of death (Roeder). Sources: ======== Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The Book of Saints. NY: Macmillan. Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image. Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, March. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books. Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and their Attributes, Chicago: Henry Regnery. Wade-Evans, A. W. (1923). Life of St. David. For All the Saints: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm An Alphabetical Index of the Saints of the West http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/saintsa.htm These Lives are archived at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
