SAINT BLAISE
Saint Blaise was the Bishop of Sebastea and a doctor. The first known record of the saint’s life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, where he is recorded as helping patients suffering from objects stuck in their throats. Many of the miraculous aspects of St. Blaise’s life are written 400 years after his martyrdom in the “Acts of St. Blaise.”
Saint Blaise is believed to have begun as a healer and then, eventually, became a “physician of souls.” He then retired to a cave, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.
In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, arrested then-bishop Blaise for being a Christian. On their way to the jail, a woman set her only son, who was choking to death on a fish bone, at his feet.
Blaise cured the child, and though Agricola was amazed, he could not get Blaise to renounce his faith. Therefore, Agricola beat Blaise with a stick and tore at his flesh with iron combs before beheading him. St. Blaise is the patron saint of throat illnesses, animals, wool combers, and wool trading. He died in the year 316 AD.
SAINT VALENTINE
Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with “courtly love.”
Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.
In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrology.
The legends attributed to the mysterious saint are as inconsistent as the actual identification of the man.
One common story about St. Valentine is that at one point in his life, as the former Bishop of Terni, Narnia, and Amelia, he was on house arrest with Judge Asterius. While discussing religion and faith with the Judge, Valentine pledged the validity of Jesus. The judge immediately put Valentine and his faith to the test.
SAINT BLAISE AND SAINT VALENTINE – BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cronin, Blaise. The Book of Blaise: A Saint in his Name. Self-Published 2021.
Gabriel, Cole M. The Story of Saint Blaise. Self-Published: 2024.
Gauthier, Andrew. Saint Valentine: The Story of St. Valentine Patron Saint of Love. Self-Published 2024.
Pickfor, Ben. The Life of St. Blaise. Self-Published: 2023.
Roberts, Nichola. The Story of Valentine: History of God’s Brave Loving Servant, Patron Saint of Love and Relationships. Self-Published 2024
ARCHIVAL/SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Tennyson, Alfred Barron. The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson. Chicago, IL: National Library Association. 1891