Tuesday in the 6th Week of Great Lent

Tuesday, 29 March / 11 April 2006
6th Week of Great Lent
Tone 1

St. Mark, Bishop OF Arethusa, St. Cyril His Deacon, and the Others Who Were Martyred With Them
St. Gladys and her Husband St. Gwynllyn

Troparion of St Mark
(Tone 3)
Thou didst anoint an assembly of martyrs/ and strengthen them by thy steadfastness,/ in preparation for the contest, O glorious Mark./ Thou didst finish thy course with them,/ and you were all found worthy of the joys of heaven./ O righteous Father,/ pray to Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.

Troparion of St Gladys and St Gwynllyn (Gwynllyw)
(Tone 5)
Rejoice, thrice-blessed Gladys,/ daughter of King Brychan,/ wife of holy Gwynllyn and mother of Saint Cadoc./ O worthy Gwynllyn,/ thou didst forsake thy pagan warfare to fight as a Christian ascetic/ and didst end thy days as a hermit./ We praise thee, Gladys and Gwynllyn.

Who were Sts. Gladys and GwynllyW? They were early saints of Great Britain.

The following is from: http://www.mail-archive.com/irishcatholicchurch@yahoogroups.com/msg00130.html

Icon of St. Gwynllyw

Icon of St. Gwynllyw is from: http://www.odox.net/A-gwynll.jpg

St. Gwynllyw of Wales, Hermit (Gundleus, Woolo, Woollos)
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Died c. 500. Gundleus (Latin for Gwynllyw, which is anglicised as Woolo) was a Welsh chieftain. Although he was the eldest, when his father died, Gundleus divided his inheritance among his six brothers. According to legend, he desired to marry Gwladys (f.d. today), daughter of Saint Brychan of Brecknock (f.d. April 6). When Brychan refused his daughter's hand, Gundleus kidnapped and married her. (One aspect of the
legend has King Arthur helping to defeat the pursuing Brychan and being dissuaded from capturing Gwladys for himself by two of his knights.)

Nevertheless, Gundleus and Gwladys led a riotous life, engaging in violence and banditry until their first son, Saint Cadoc (f.d. September 25), convinced them to adopt and follow a religious life together at Stow Hill near Newport (Gwent), Monmouthshire. Later he had them separate and live as hermits.

Gundleus spent his last years completely retired from the world in a solitary little dwelling near a church which he had built. He wore sackcloth, ate barley-bread strewn with ashes, and drank water. To constant prayer and contemplation he added the work of his hands. On his deathbed, Gundleus was visited by Saint Dyfrig (f.d. November 14) and his own son Cadoc, who provided him with the Last Rites of the Church. There is a church dedicated to him at Newport (Attwater2, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth).

(No Icon of St. Gladys is available)

St. Gwaladys (Gladys, Gladusa, Claudia), Hermit
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Born in Wales in the 5th century. One of the 24 children of Brychan of
Brecknock, wife of Saint Gundleus (f.d. today), and mother of Saints Cadoc (f.d. September 25) and, possibly, Keyna (f.d. October 8), Saint Gladys led a very interesting life. It is said that after their conversion by the example and exhortation of their son, she and Gundleus lived an austere life. It included the rather interesting practice throughout the year of taking a nightly baths in the Usk,
followed by a mile-long walk unclothed. Her son finally convinced them to end the practice and to separate. Gladys moved to Pencanau in Bassaleg. The details of her story come from a 12th-century "vita," which includes miracles that took place in the time of Saint Edward the Confessor (f.d. October 13) and William I (Attwater2, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth).