ST DAVID OF SWEDEN - 15 JULY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY

Saints celebrated on the 15th of July

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST DAVID OF SWEDEN

Saint David was sent as a missionary to Sweden by St Sigfrid of Växjö along with St Botvid and St Eskil. The missionaries David, Eskil, and Botvid preached chiefly in Södermanland and Västmanland. 

HE IS ASSOCIATED WITH MUNKTORP

David is associated with Munktorp, a village situated in Köping Municipality, in Västmanland County. He reportedly originated Munktorp Church (Munktorps kyrka). The original church structures are known as David's Church (Davidskyrkan). Munktorp Church is in Västeras diocese, northeast of Köping, Sweden.

David became known as the Västmanland apostle (Västmanlands apostel). David sought to become a martyr but died peacefully in 1082 of old age. After his death, his remains were buried in Munktorps kyrka.

THE VÄSTMANSLAND APOSTLE

Many miracles happened through his intercession.

According to the Västeras breviary, David came to evangelise in Sweden in order to become a martyr. It further says that David "wandered among villages and towns, preaching the word of God and baptising the converted, kept nightly prayer vigils, committing to God with tears and sighs his plentiful offspring, which he had thus born in the Lord". Some places celebrate his feast on June 25. 

(Information from Wikipedia -

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_of_Munktorp)