David of Wales was a renowned preacher and missionary who founded monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany, and southwest England. According to legend, he was born on a Pembrokeshire clifftop during a fierce storm in 500 CE.
Also, according to legend, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, from which he brought back a stone that now sits in an altar at St. David’s Cathedral, built on the site of his original monastery.
David and his monks lived a simple, austere existence. They ploughed the fields by hand, rather than using oxen. The monks refrained from eating meat or drinking beer. St. David himself consumed only leeks and water. During a battle against the Saxons, he also advised the soldiers to wear leeks in their hats so that they could easily be distinguished from their enemies. It is claimed that, because of one of those two events, the leek became a national symbol of Wales.
David was said to have performed miracles, the most famous taking place when he was preaching to a large crowd. People at the back of the gathering complained that they could not hear him. Suddenly, the ground on which he stood rose up to form a hill, allowing everyone to see and hear. Then a white dove (sent by God?) descended to rest on his shoulder.
He died on March 1, in 589, St. David’s Day, and was buried at the site of St Davids Cathedral, where his shrine was a popular place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages. His last words to his followers came from a sermon he gave on the previous Sunday: ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.’ The phrase Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd, ‘Do the little things in life,’ is still a well-known saying in Wales and good advice for us today.
Collect for St. David
Almighty God, you called your servant David to be a faithful and wise steward of your mysteries for the people of Wales. Grant that, following his purity of life and zeal for the Gospel of Christ, we may with him receive our heavenly reward. Amen.
Improbable Benedictine 
Thank you Stephen. I have been to St David’s Cathedral in Wales. My father was Welsh and immigrated to America with his Welsh speaking family. My brother is named for St. David: David Llewellyn Hughes. So proud to be Welsh!
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