St David’s Day Festivities Welcome in the Spring

The life and work of Saint David, the Patron Saint of Wales, was celebrated this weekend in a packed programme of events across the province.

The main location for these events was in the city of St Davids, which is in the Diocese of St Davids and is also the smallest city in the UK! It was here that Saint David lived and ministered in the sixth century, while founding many churches and monasteries in Wales, England, and Brittany. His best-known miracle is said to have taken place when he was preaching in the middle of a large crowd at the Synod of Brefi: the village of Llanddewi Brefi stands on the spot where the ground on which he stood is reputed to have risen to form a small hill. A white dove, which became his emblem, was seen settling on his shoulder.

In the present day, his feast day is celebrated widely across Wales, with people taking the day as an opportunity to celebrate Welsh history and culture.

In St Davids, the day started bright and early with a Eucharist in St Davids Cathedral by the shrine of St David, which has attracted thousands of pilgrims over the years, and was restored in 2012. Then there was a blessing at St Non’s Holy Well, a pilgrimage back into the city to Oriel y Parc, and then on to the old cross where Bishop Dorrien Davies blessed the city, before going to St Davids Cathedral for a choral prayer service. There was also a half marathon and a dragon parade!

Today, children from Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, a Church in Wales school, delivered the annual St David’s Day message from the Bishops of the Church in Wales to the Senedd. A group of eleven choristers and readers gave the letter to First Minister Eluned Morgan at the City of Portraits exhibition. Here is what the letter said:

“Each year, we celebrate St David’s Day as winter comes to an end and we see the first signs of spring, bringing warmth, light and hope. This year, when events in the world may have brought fear and doubt, we recall the words of our Patron Saint, who, inspired by his Saviour, met the challenges of his own day with faith and with love. For centuries, Dewi’s example has led the people of this land to stand for peace and for justice. In that spirit, we assure you of our best wishes and our continued prayers as you seek to serve the people of our nation. And we pray for new warmth in hearts that have grown cold; new light where there has been darkness, and new hope for Wales and for the world.”

To celebrate St David's Day, this special film tells the story of the faith that inspired Saint David and still inspires the Church in Wales today: