Who was St. Valentine?
Read on and find out...
There are four early saints with the name Valentine, but the one whose feast we celebrate today was a Bishop who was martyred during the persecution of the Church by the Emperor Claudius II around the year 270AD.
Claudius had banned marraige for any man who was entering the army, in the belief that the soldier having no ties to family would be more likely to die for the empire, added to this he had also banned the worship of any god except the Emperor. Valentine continued to perform secret marraiges for the soldiers who were Christians, but was eventually betrayed to the Emperor.
On being brought before him for trial, Claudius was astounded by the conviction and courage of the man and offered him a high place in government if only he would renounce the Christian God. Even after torture Valentine refused to offer incense to the Emperor and was eventually sentenced to death. While in prison he became friends with the daughter of the jailer and wrote to her a final letter which he signed, "from your Valentine", from which the custom of sending "Valentines" arose.
He was martyred on the 14th of February a day that was around the pagan feast of lupercalia when couples were betrothed and a day traditionally picked by bird keepers for the pairing of doves for the year ahead. Because of this Valentine quickly became the patron of engaged couples and those seeking a spouse.
His relics lie in the Carmelite Church of Whitefriar St in Dublin, Ireland. The custom has arisen of blessing engagement rings on this day in his honour. So there we go... a feast of love as compassion, as healing, and as self sacrificing for the highest good... that's what we celebrate today... isn't it?
The images show the shrine of St. Valentine in Dublin and shows his major relics in the casket beneath his image there. Other relics are preserved in Glasgow (skull) and Rome (bones)
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