May 20, 2003

I’m sorry I’ve been so

I’m sorry I’ve been so long finishing my thoughts about what is good about Britain and getting the last “S” posted. This has been the last few days of my parents’ visit, plus I’ve had to put together a presentation.

What’s great about Britain? There’s scenery, sustenance, and…

Saints.

If you have an eye for such things, you really don’t have to go far in any direction to come across places associated with those venerable fathers and mothers who have walked this island before us.

It was raining yesterday when we were out with my parents and it prevented us from visiting Llanthony Priory. Llanthony (pronounced llan-tony’ with that Welsh ll sound) is actually a contraction of Llan Dewi Nant Honddu, or “church of St David on the Honddu brook”. Dewi is the Welsh word for David. It was built on the site of St David’s monastic cell. Yes, the St David, before he moved out to West Wales and founded the monastic community around which the village and cathedral of St David’s eventual developed. But Llanthony is where St David spent a lot of time fasting and praying and getting serious with God.

Holiness so permeated this place that five hundred years later, when Sir William de Lacy was out hunting and came across the spot, he immediately laid down his sword and renounced the world. He dedicated himself to prayer and fasting. A couple of years later, at the behest of Queen Maud’s chaplain, he founded a monastery on the site, which eventually houses about forty Augustinian monks.

Llanthony is about 25 miles from here. But only 10 miles from here is a church on the site of the first church founded by the father of Welsh monasticism, St Dyfrig. It was St Dyfrig who elevated St David to the episcopate. At two different locations in Herefordshire he trained over a thousand missionaries.

Long before I moved to Herefordshire, I adopted St Dyfrig as a patron and he is the patron of our family. When Mrs Holford was in labour 16 months ago, it was to St Dyfrig’s Church that I went to pray.

These are but two little examples within a few miles of here. I could go on and on with more, but the point is that amidst this heathen land, there are still holy places. They are ignored for the most part, because they don’t appeal to the modern tourist. There’s nothing exciting about most of these places – not all of them are as scenically beautiful as Llanthony. There may only be a few stones to mark where they are, and sometimes not even that. But they have been sanctified by the holy prayers of holy men and the power of the Holy Spirit.

For me this has more substance than either the scenery or the sustenance this island has to offer.

Posted by david at May 20, 2003 10:41 PM
Comments

I am an Orthodox Nun with a particular effinity to the Saints of Wales as I am a decendent of Welsh blood. I have prayed to St David for some time now but have been limited in my knowlege about his life. I would also love more information on the life of St Dyfrig's life. I know that he is known as the father of Welsh monasticism...but no more than that. Can you help?

Posted by: Mother Nicole at December 30, 2003 02:27 AM