Devotion to St. David of Wales (and to all the western saints) serves a
very important role in the Orthodox Church—it rescues us from the accusation
that we are merely “the Eastern Church” (as some textbooks describe us), the
eastern half of a sundered and broken body.
Many in the west see Orthodoxy indeed as “the Eastern Church”—something
exotic, foreign, exciting, mysterious. A
wonderful church to visit (all that enriching symbolism!), but, after all, not
a good fit for the western heart and the western mind. It can be the source of many good theological
insights, a good corrective to a merely western perspective. But, for those whose long history and culture
is rooted in the west, it remains a foreigner, an unassimilated immigrant in
the western world, a kind of Christian Zoroastrianism. We Orthodox sometimes unwittingly play the
part of the foreigner: when one looks in
the “Prologue from Ochrid”, a popular synaxarion (or Lives of Saints) and turns
to March 17 expecting to find St. Patrick, he is not there. One finds “St. Alexis, Man of God”, and “the
Holy Martyr Marinus”. But the
Enlightener of Ireland and patron of New York City is nowhere to be found. What can the western inquirer conclude, but
that the Eastern Church is concerned only with eastern things and has no stake
in the ecclesiastical history of the west?
This is when we need
St. David to come and rescue us. And St.
Lawrence, and St. Cyprian, and St. Alban, and St. Augustine (if we can look at
him historically and not make him the whipping boy for everything we object to
in the western Middle Ages), and St. Hilary, and St. Gregory the Great, and St.
Boniface, and St. Martin of Tours, and many, many others. It shouldn’t be too hard. We already love St. Gregory the Great as “St.
Gregory the Dialogist”. We just need to
let him dress in his western vestments once in a while.
Some Orthodox have
already begun the task of re-claiming the western part of our spiritual
heritage in the saints (or “the Sanctorale” as it is called). St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco had a
great love and veneration for the western saints, and his work has been carried
on to some extent by the Monastery in Platina in northern California. The British Orthodox themselves are
reclaiming their ancient heritage and venerating the saints of Ireland, Iona
and Wales.
As a part of this
movement of reclamation my (then) bishop once asked me to write a service for
St. David of Wales, and of course I complied.
It is offered here for whoever may be interested, and with the
conviction that the Orthodox Church is not simply the Eastern Church, but the
one, holy, catholic and apostolic church confessed by all who use the Nicene
Creed. As the true catholic church, our
concern is universal, and our embrace, global.
All of the saints belong to us, and we to them. St. David, dying in Wales, prays for us no
less than does St. Stephen of Perm, dying in Moscow after his long missionary
work among the Zyrians. Through the
prayers of St. David may his Orthodox Faith spread even more throughout the
west!
HYMNS for THE
SERVICES to St. DAVID OF WALES (“Dewi Sant”)
HYMNS
FOR GREAT VESPERS
“Lord
I call” (Tone 4)
O blessed David, you preached the grace of God to those who gathered
together with you, teaching them not to trust their works to save them but
Christ alone, and the Divine Dove of the Spirit settled upon you. Like a city set upon a hill, your good works
could not be hidden, and the Lord revealed your wonderful life to all. Pray for
us who honour your holy memory!
As a true son of the desert fathers, you glorified the monastic way
among the hills of Wales, O blessed one, calling your monks to ascetic labours
and to holy poverty. You did not permit them to use animals when they ploughed
the land, nor to eat anything more than bread with salt and herbs, and you
taught them to hold all things in common like the apostles of old. Pray for us who honour your holy memory!
O blessed David of Wales, you taught us all to be joyful and keep our
faith and our creed, doing the little things in life that you did before us,
and thus inherit the heavenly Kingdom. Pray for us who honour your holy memory!
Glory...
O boast of Glastonbury and adornment of the Church of Wales, you are a
light to those who love you. By your
prayers we prepare our souls to meet the Lord.
Pray unceasingly that all of us who honour your holy memory may be
filled with joy in the Kingdom.
Now and
ever… (Dogmatic of the Tone of the Week)
Three
Readings: Isaiah 40:3-11, Wisdom 3:1-9,
Sirach 39:1-11.
Litya verses (Tone 2)
You
founded monasteries and churches throughout the Welsh land, O holy David,
shepherding the flock of Christ with skilful hands, in imitation of your
namesake of old [Ps. 78:72]. Look down
from heaven upon your earthly church and bless us as we honour your sacred
memory!
As a
bishop and divine steward you administered to your congregations the saving
truths of the glorious Gospel, praying to Christ the Chief Shepherd for those
in your care. Pray for us also who rely
on your pastoral care and who honour your sacred memory!
Apostika (Tone 6)
Like King
David of old, the sweet psalmist of Israel [2 Sam. 23:1], you sang the praises
of the Incarnate God, and in you the Lord found a man after His own heart [1
Sam. 13:14]. Now that you have joined
the heavenly choir of the saints, O holy David, do not cease praying for us
that God might grant us great mercy!
Vs. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of His saints.
King
David fought valiantly against the enemies of the People of God, and you, O
holy one, fought valiantly against the Satanic enemy of our souls, winning the
victory through your fasting and prayers.
Now that you stand before the heavenly King, do not cease praying for us
that God might grant us great mercy!
Vs. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who
greatly delights in His commandments.
King
David repented with tears after he sinned with Bathsheba, praying that God
would deliver him from bloodguilt and accept his sacrifice of a broken and
contrite heart [Ps. 51:14, 17]. Through
your holy ascetic labours, O blessed one, you also show us the royal and joyful
way of repentance. Now that you rejoice
before the Judge of all, do not cease praying for us that God might grant us
great mercy!
Glory…
Solomon,
the son of King David, inherited his father’s wealth and built the holy Temple
for God’s glory, and we, your spiritual children, O blessed David, have
inherited the your priceless example of sanctity, and are built together as a
temple of the Lord [Eph. 2:21-22]. Now
that you reign with the saints on high in the heavenly Temple, do not cease
praying for us that God might grant us great mercy!
Now and
ever… (Theotokion)
HYMNS
FOR MATINS
“God
is the Lord” (Tone 4)
Tropar
for St. David of Wales (Tone 4)
You
appeared before your flock as a rule of faith, a preacher of repentance and a
beacon of sanctity. Because of your
zeal, the Divine Dove rested upon you; because of your lowliness, God raised
you above all. You taught us to be
steadfast and joyful, and to keep our faith and our creed, doing the little
things that you showed us. O holy bishop
David, pray to Christ God to save our souls!
Kathisma
Hymns (Tone 3)
O blessed Father David, as a good shepherd, you guided your flock to
the green pastures of Christ. You drove
away the spiritual wolves, and made Christ’s sheep lay down in safety by the
waters of rest. You provided them with
a rich banquet of His teaching. Now you stand before the throne of the Great
Chief-Shepherd. Intercede with Him for
the salvation of our souls!
O blessed
Father David, you drank deeply from the well of the Divine Scriptures. Christ fed you with His hidden manna [Rev.
2:17], and nourished your spirit with His words. Now that you have become strong through the
Word of God [1 Jn. 2:14], mightily intercede with Christ for the salvation of
our souls!
Polyeleion
Magnification
and we
honour your holy memory,
for you
brought the people of Wales into the sheepfold of Christ,
and even
now you pray to Christ our God for those who honour you.
verse: Hear this, all nations; give ear, all
inhabitants of the world!
verse: My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation
of my heart shall be understanding!
Sessional Hymn (Tone 4)
O holy
David, by your apostolic labours you kindled the fire of the Spirit in the
Welsh land, and by your prayers you warm cold hearts with the love of God. Pray to Christ our God for us who honour your
sacred memory that the divine Spirit may rest upon us also.
Prokeimenon
(Tone 4)
Precious
in the sight of the Lord/ is the death of His saints!
verse: What
shall I render to the Lord, for all His bounties to me?
Gospel:
John 10:9-16
Canon
(Tone 6)
Ode 1 Irmos: When
Israel passed on foot over the sea as if it were dry land, and beheld their
pursuer Pharaoh drowning in the sea, they cried aloud unto God, “Let us sing a
song of victory!”
Refrain: O
blessed Father David, pray to God for us!
The night
in which you were born was full of storms, O blessed Father David, and our
lives also are battered by tempest and sorrow.
Now that you stand before the One who stilled the storm on Lake Galilee,
pray that He will still the storms which afflict us, and grant us great mercy.
The land in
which you were born was full of pagan darkness and ignorance of the true God,
and you walked its hills preaching the Gospel and calling all to the knowledge
of the Trinity. Now that you stand
before the true and eternal Light, pray that our souls be illumined and granted
great mercy.
Ode 3 Irmos:
There is none so holy as You, O Lord my God, who has exalted the power
of Your faithful, O Blessed One, and have established us upon the rock of Your
confession.
O blessed
Father David, you were baptized by the Irish monk Elvis, educated in the
monastery of Hen Fynyw, and taught the ways of holiness through the elderly
monk Paulinus. O holy father, wise in
the ways of the ascetic life, and now exalted in heaven, do not cease to pray
for us!
O blessed
Father David, God rewarded your humility and your monastic labours by sending
you the Dove of the Divine Spirit, and making you a vessel of His grace. O holy father, full of the Spirit of God and
now exalted in heaven, do not cease to pray for us!
Ode 4 Irmos:
“Christ is my power, my Lord and my God”, the venerable Church sings,
honouring God, with a pure understanding, feasting in the Lord.
After
ordination, you healed the blindness of your elderly teacher by your faith and
by making the Sign of the Cross over his eyes.
Through the power of Christ, heal our spiritual blindness also by your
holy prayers, O blessed David!
As a
priest you brought to earth the power of the heavenly God, healing our
infirmities by your mighty and fervent intercession. Through the power of Christ, strengthen us
also in our weakness by your holy prayers, O blessed David!
Ode 5 Irmos:
Illumine with Your divine light, O Good One, the souls of those who keep
vigil in love, so that they may know You, O Word of God, as the true God who
recalls them from the darkness of sin!
The Welsh
land was dark before you were born, O blessed David, as in languished in sin
and idolatry. Through you Christ shone
upon it with His saving light, calling its people to become the children of
God, for you walked throughout the land like an earthly angel, founding
churches and bringing to all the heavenly hope of eternal life.
The land
of Wales suffered under the tyranny of the demons before you were born, O
blessed David. Through you Christ put
the power of Satan to flight, liberating its people and striking off the
shackles of sin, for you preached to all the good news, calling them to the
glorious freedom of the children of God [Rom. 8:21].
Ode 6 Irmos:
Beholding the sea of life surging with the storm of temptations, and
taking refuge in Your calm haven, I cry unto You, “Raise up my life from
corruption, O greatly-merciful One!”
Like a
new Paul, you preached the good news of God’s grace to the people of Wales, O
holy David, denouncing the errors of Pelagius and exalting the saving mercy of
Christ. As a fearless apostle of the
divine truth, you saved your people from error, teaching them to keep their
faith and their creed.
Like a
true soldier of Christ, you wielded the sword of the Spirit [Eph. 6:17], O
blessed David, cutting down the weeds of heresy which the Enemy planted in the
field of Christ [Mt. 13:28]. By your
zeal you taught us to preserve the apostolic faith pure and undefiled and so
win a full reward [2 Jn. 8].
Kontakion
(Tone 1)
O wise
David, you shine forth on earth with rays of wonder, and in heaven you reflect
the glory of the transcendent Lord.
Beseech Him to deliver from every difficulty your servants who honour
your sacred memory, O elect among the fathers!
Ikos
O holy
Father David, you illumined the land of Wales with the eternal light of Christ,
saying to the prisoners, “Come forth!” and to those in darkness, “Show
yourselves!” [Is. 49:9]. Beseech the
Lord to shine upon us also who honour your sacred memory, O elect among the
fathers!
Ode 7 Irmos:
An angel
made the furnace cool with dew for the godly youths, and God’s command to burn
Chaldeans made the tyrant cry, “Blessed are You, O God of our fathers!”
You
founded many monasteries in Wales, O blessed David, kindling the flame of
holiness that it might shine as a beacon to all, bringing the land to
Christ. By your intercession kindle that
saving fire in our hearts also, that we may cry to God, “Blessed are You, O God
of our fathers!”
You
became a father of monks and a foundation of holiness, O blessed David, sinking
the roots of sanctity deep within the fertile Welsh soil. By your intercession grant that we also may
bear the fruit of good works and glorify the Lord, crying aloud, “Blessed are
You, O God of our fathers!”
Ode 8 Irmos: You
made dew flow from the flame for the godly youths, and the sacrifice of a
righteous man You consumed with water!
You make all things, O Christ, as You desire! We exalt You throughout all ages!
You
inspired your monks with your zeal, O blessed David, calling them to share your
ascetic labours. You insisted that they
pull the plough themselves without using animals, that they might subdue their
flesh and learn the gentle yoke of Christ.
Marvelling at your wisdom, we exalt Christ throughout all ages!
You led
your monks in a blessed poverty, O holy David, allowing them to eat only bread
with salt and herbs, and to spend their evenings in prayer, reading, and
writing, while refusing them to own anything.
By these labours they drew near to God in sobriety of spirit and
unquenchable joy. Marvelling at your
zeal, we exalt Christ throughout all ages!
Ode 9 Irmos: It
is not possible for men to see God, upon whom the ranks of angels dare not
gaze. But through you, O all-pure one,
was the Word Incarnate revealed unto men, whom magnifying, together with the
heavenly hosts, we call you blessed.
You loved
the courts of the Lord and His altars, O blessed one [Ps. 84:2-3], serving as a
priest and adorning the altar of Glastonbury abbey with a great sapphire. Now that you stand before the Lord of Hosts
in His heavenly courts, do not cease to pray for us who venerate your memory
with love.
Like a
prophet you knew in advance the time of your departure, O holy one, and after
your repose at a great age your holy relics came to rest in the Glastonbury
abbey you loved. Now that your soul has
come to rest with the Lord in heaven, do not cease to pray for us who venerate
your memory with love.
Expostilarion
Like a
mighty miracle, Your holy servant David rose like a sun in the west, illumining
Your children who sat in the darkness of sin, shining on them with the light of
Your truth, preaching to all men the radiant glory of Christ our God.
The
Praises (Tone 6)
…Praise Him with trumpet sound! Praise Him with psalms and harp!
Let us
praise the Lord for our holy father David, foremost of God’s Preachers, and
Trumpet of the truth! Through the
trumpet call of his teaching, the people of Wales prepared themselves for
spiritual battle [1 Cor. 14:8] and put to flight the ancient foe.
Praise
Him with timbrel and dance! Praise Him
with strings and pipe!
Let us
praise God for our holy father David, whose Gospel preaching turned the
mourning of the Welsh into dancing, and girded them with gladness in the Lord
[Ps. 30:11]. Through his prayers may we
also rejoice in the Lord.
Praise Him with sounding cymbals! Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let every breath praise the Lord!
Let us
praise the Saviour for our holy father David, whose apostolic labours led the
people of Wales to rejoice in the true and living God, so that every breath
praises Him. Through his intercession
may we also ceaselessly praise the Lord.
Glory
to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Let us
praise the Holy Trinity for our holy father David, thrice-blessed apostle of
God’s grace in Wales. The God who sent
His Son to save us, and His Spirit to bring us to the Son, also shone upon the
whole earth, even to the land of Wales in the far west. Through the prayers of holy David, may we
also stand with joy before the heavenly God.
Now
and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
O
most-blessed Virgin Theotokos, pray for us who seek shelter in you, for we
trust in your ceaseless love matchless intercession.
HYMNS
FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY
Tropar
for St. David of Wales (Tone 4)
You
appeared before your flock as a rule of faith, a preacher of repentance and a
beacon of sanctity. Because of your
zeal, the Divine Dove rested upon you; because of your lowliness, God raised
you above all. You taught us to be
steadfast and joyful, and to keep our faith and our creed, doing the little
things that you showed us. O holy bishop
David, pray to Christ God to save our souls!
Kontakion
for St. David of Wales (Tone 1)
O wise
David, you shine forth on earth with rays of wonder, and in heaven you reflect
the glory of the transcendent Lord.
Beseech Him to deliver from every difficulty your servants who honour
your sacred memory, O elect among the fathers!
Prokeimenon (Tone 1)
My mouth
shall speak wisdom,/ and the meditation
of my heart shall be of understanding.
verse: Hear this, all nations; give ear, all
inhabitants of the world!
Epistle:
2 Cor. 4:1-12
Alleluia (Tone 6)
verse: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who
greatly delights in His commandments.
verse: His descendants shall be mighty on the
earth.
Gospel:
John 10:1-9
Communion
Verse: The righteous shall be in everlasting
remembrance; he shall not fear evil tidings.
I thank God for this and for you, Father Lawrence!
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