St. David of Wales
Born: c. 500 CE
Died: March 1, 589 CE
Feast: March 1
Patron saint of: Wales
There is little definitive information that is known about David of Wales. There are differing theories about the years of his birth and death, and the exact details of his family remain shrouded in mystery and tradition. The earliest accounts of David don’t appear until hundreds of years after this death. Still, David’s legacy and faithful witness endures, particularly in Wales, where he is venerated as patron. He was famous for his prolific preaching, and it was said during a particularly stirring sermon the ground rose from beneath him, and a dove perched on his shoulder so that his followers could see him and hear his words. David was also famously vegetarian, his monastic rule was predicated on austerity—monks were limited to bread, vegetables, and water and specifically precluded from eating meat or even working with animals in the fields. Perhaps the most impactful example of David of Wales comes from his famous last words to his followers: “Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard me do.” This joy, which David was said to have had in every aspect of his life, along with the admonishment to “do the little things,” should remind us all of the impact that we can have on one another in the ordinary ways of life and that joy does not come from material things but from God!
Image: Wikimedia Commons
