man was recalled to Strathclyde, after the Battle of Arfderydd, in 573 Asaph was consecrated bishop to succeed him, and became the first Welsh bishop of the see. Asaph is said to have died in 596. Veneration In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Asaph is listed under 1 May with the Latin name Asáphi. He is described simply as 'bishop and abbot of Elvae (Elwy) in Wales, after whom the see is named'. Although the traditional date of his death is recognised as 1 May, the current Roman Catholic liturgical calendar for Wales keeps his memorial on 5 May, the 1st being designated for St Joseph the Worker. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church indicates that St Asaph's feast, though now celebrated on 5 May, was previously celebrated on 11 May. Asaph is also recognized as founder of the church of Llanasa in Flintshire. There are streets in Brockley, South East London; Christchurch, New Zealand; Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania; and in Alexandria, Virginia, and Leominster, Massachusetts named in his honor. A hymn tune used with the Scottish paraphrase 'How bright these glorious spirits shine' is called St Asaph. It was first published in 1825 in a collection by the Edinburgh musician Robert Archibald Smith, and attributed by him to Giovanni Marie Giornovichi 1745–1804. References Sources Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. . Further reading 6th-century births 6th-century Welsh bishops 6th-century Christian saints 601 deaths Bishops of St Asaph Medieval Welsh saints Welsh-speaking clergy