According to tradition,
St. David was the son of King Sant of South
Wales and St. Non. He was ordained a
priest and later studied under St. Paulinus. Later, he was involved in missionary work and founded a number of monasteries. The monastery he founded at
Menevia in Southwestern
Wales was noted for extreme asceticism. David and his monks drank neither wine nor beer - only water - while putting in a full day of heavy manual labor and intense study. Around the year 550, David attended a
synod at Brevi in Cardiganshire. His contributions at the
synod are said to have been the major
cause for his
election as
primate of the Cambrian Church. He was reportedly consecrated
archbishop by the
patriarch of
Jerusalem while on a visit to the Holy Land. He also is said to have invoked a council that ended the last vestiges of Pelagianism. David died at his monastery in
Menevia around the year 589, and his cult was approved in 1120 by Pope Callistus II. He is revered as the patron of Wales. Undoubtedly,
St. David was endowed with substantial qualities of spiritual leadership. What is more, many monasteries flourished as a result of his leadership and
good example. His staunch adherence to monastic piety bespeaks a fine example for modern Christians seeking order and
form in their
prayer life.His
feast day is March 1.
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