Friday 14 February 2025 is SAINT Valentine's Day

 

Shrine of St Valentine

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Whitefriar St, Dublin [Source]

I first posted this two years ago and included material I used on 12 February 2009.

The core of the stories about St Valentine is that this young Roman priest, who was what we would now call a diocesan priest, was martyred for officiating at weddings when Emperor Claudius II, ‘the Cruel’, forbade them because he was engaged in so many wars and needed the young men to fight in them.

In the Philippines (where I was based most of the time from 1971 to 2017) St Valentine’s Day is almost always referred to as ‘Valentine’s Day’. Indeed the ‘St’ is left out in most English-speaking countries. For many young people it is simply a day to express innocent friendship. For many married couples it is a day for renewing their love for one another. But for many unmarried young adults it is, quite frankly, a day for fornicating. This would be the case in many other countries, as would adultery.

Marriage is more and more under attack in the West. I can think of no better patron saint for priests and married couples involved in strengthening marriage than St Valentine.

And I also think that the Church should put more emphasis on marriage than on the family, since the sacrament of matrimony is the foundation of the family and the vocation to be a spouse is more fundamental than the vocation to be a parent. In God’s plan, parenthood is meant to be a consequence of the two, husband and wife, becoming one.

Above is in the shrine of St Valentine in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, known to everyone in my native city, Dublin,  as Whitefriar Street Church. It belongs to the Carmelite Friars (OCarm). 

The website of the friars contains a number of photos of the shrine along with a history of how the relics of St Valentine came to be there. It also includes this beautiful prayer.

Prayer to St Valentine

Saint Valentine,
true servant who shed his blood
in defence of the sacraments and faith in Jesus Christ,
intercede for us today, we pray.

Gain for us the strength to be steadfast like you
in witnessing to the true faith to the end of our days,
and help us never to lose hope in the Lord
who is always near us.

Intercede for those men and women who are preparing for marriage:
help them to know one another and the true meaning
of the sacramental bond they are preparing to enter.

Intercede for those who are joined together
in the sacrament of marriage,
that they may never give up when trials come their way
but may remain faithful to each other,
and to the Lord who blessed their union.

May your love for the Lord be an inspiration for
our love for each other, for the love between husband and wife,
and for the love and charity we extend to all whom we meet.
Amen.

Though the feast of St Valentine is no longer on the general calendar of the Church that came into effect late in 1969 when the 'New Mass' was introduced by Pope St Paul VI, it is still on the calendar where the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated, using the Roman Missal of 1962 approved by Pope St John XXIII.

There are many churches named after St Valentine, particularly in the Region of Trentino-South Tyrol (Trentino-Alto Adige in Italian). Below is that in Malé in that region.

Church of San Valentino, Malé, Italy

[Wikipedia; photo]

May I wish everyone a Happy 

SAINT Valentine's Day!

Tuesday 14 February is SAINT Valentine's Day

 

Shrine of St Valentine

Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Whitefriar St, Dublin [Source]

This post includes material I used on 12 February 2009.

The core of the stories about St Valentine is that this young Roman priest, who was what we would now call a diocesan priest, was martyred for officiating at weddings when Emperor Claudius II, ‘the Cruel’, forbade them because he was engaged in so many wars and needed the young men to fight in them.

In the Philippines (where I was at the time) St Valentine’s Day is almost always referred to as ‘Valentine’s Day’. Indeed the ‘St’ is left out in most English-speaking countries. For many young people it is simply a day to express innocent friendship. For many married couples it is a day for renewing their love for one another. But for many unmarried young adults it is, quite frankly, a day for fornicating. This would be the case in many other countries, as would adultery.

Marriage is more and more under attack in the West. I can think of no better patron saint for priests and married couples involved in strengthening marriage than St Valentine.

And I also think that the Church should put more emphasis on marriage than on the family, since the sacrament of matrimony is the foundation of the family and the vocation to be a spouse is more fundamental than the vocation to be a parent. In God’s plan, parenthood is meant to be a consequence of the two, husband and wife, becoming one.

Above is in the shrine of St Valentine in the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, known to everyone in my native city, Dublin,  as Whitefriar Street Church. It belongs to the Carmelite Friars (OCarm). 

The website of the friars contains a number of photos of the shrine along with a history of how the relics of St Valentine came to be there. It also includes this beautiful prayer.

Prayer to St Valentine

Saint Valentine,
true servant who shed his blood
in defence of the sacraments and faith in Jesus Christ,
intercede for us today, we pray.

Gain for us the strength to be steadfast like you
in witnessing to the true faith to the end of our days,
and help us never to lose hope in the Lord
who is always near us.

Intercede for those men and women who are preparing for marriage:
help them to know one another and the true meaning
of the sacramental bond they are preparing to enter.

Intercede for those who are joined together
in the sacrament of marriage,
that they may never give up when trials come their way
but may remain faithful to each other,
and to the Lord who blessed their union.

May your love for the Lord be an inspiration for
our love for each other, for the love between husband and wife,
and for the love and charity we extend to all whom we meet.
Amen.

Though the feast of St Valentine is no longer on the general calendar of the Church that came into effect late in 1969 when the 'New Mass' was introduced by Pope St Paul VI, it is still on the calendar where the Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated, using the Roman Missal of 1962 approved by Pope St John XXIII.

There are many churches named after St Valentine, particularly in the Region of Trentino-South Tyrol (Trentino-Alto Adige in Italian). Below is that in Malé in that region.

Church of San Valentino, Malé, Italy

[Wikipedia; photo]

May I wish everyone a Happy 

SAINT Valentine's Day!

What I saw that day more than 40 years ago was an expression of God's pure love. Sunday Reflections, 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

River Bank in Springtime

Vincent van Gogh [Wikipedia; source]

He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:8; First Reading).

He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither (Psalm 1:3; Resposnorial Psalm).

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Luke 6:17, 20-26 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)  

Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”

 Léachtaí i nGaeilge

Prayer Before the Meal

Adriaen Jansz van Ostade [Web Gallery of Art]

More than 40 years ago when I was in charge of a small formation house for young men preparing for the diocesan priesthood in Mindanao, Philippines, I came to know a young girl named Patricia. She had just turned ten when we first met. I learned that her father had died when she was an infant. She 'adopted' me and called me Tatay, Dad, as she still does. She is now a widow and a grandmother.

The first time I visited her home, a small wooden structure built on stilts, I thought that it might fall over. Patricia's family, like most of the families around them, were poor, though not destitute. They struggled from day to day and managed to get by.

Very often after class in the public elementary school Patricia would drop by the formation house for a chat. One day when we were talking in the dining room upstairs we heard the 'clump-clump-clump' of somebody coming up the stairs wearing heavy boots and carrying a staff. It was a man named William Smith, probably the poorest person I have ever met. It was believed that his father had been an American soldier. William was tall and thin, never looked healthy, had very poor sight and had no home of his own. Sometimes children would tease him in a disrespectful way. He would go from parish to parish and the priests, mostly Columbans, would give him a place to sleep, food, clothes, shoes and some money. After a few days he would head off to another parish. Poor William went to his reward when struck by a truck one day. May he rest in peace.

When William arrived at the top of the stairs Patricia went over to him, took him by the hand, sat him down at a table and brought him something to eat and to drink. I asked her some years later if she remembered this incident. She had no recollection whatever of it.

The Infant Jesus Distributing Bread to Pilgrims

Murillo [Web Gallery of Art]

St Matthew's first beatitude reads, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The New English Bible translation of this is, How blest are those who know their need of God; the kingdom of heaven is theirs. I find that latter translation very helpful.

 
St Luke's version has a different emphasis. He shows us Jesus speaking about those who are economically poor. Jesus is also, I think, giving a message of hope pointing towards eternal life where the injustice that is the cause of so much economic poverty will no longer have any force, where God's will reigns. The words of Jesus also call us to work for a world in the here and now where economic poverty caused by greed and injustice no longer exists.

Jesus has very harsh words for those whose focus is only on the present life and the ultimately shallow 'rewards' so much of it offers: But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

God reveals himself as Love in so many 'insignificant' moments. What I saw that day more than 40 years ago was an expression of God's pure love: a child who was poor serving an adult who had absolutely nothing of his own. Patricia was blessed by God in serving William and he was blessed by God in being served by a child. I have been blessed by this little incident ever since. The kingdom of God broke through that afternoon. 

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Antiphona ad Communionem

Communion Antiphon (Cf Psalm 77 [78]:29-30).

Manducaverunt, et saturaviti sunt nimis, [They ate and had their fill,] 

et desiderium eorum attulit eis Dominus, [and what they craved the Lord gave them;] 

non sunt fraudati a desiderio suo. [they were not disappointed in what they craved.]

Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) 

Septuagesima Sunday 

The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 02-13-2022 if necessary).

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 10:1-5.  Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16.

SAINT Valentine's Day

Shrine of St Valentine, Whitefriar St, Dublin

Monday 14 February is SAINT Valentine's Day, not 'Valentine's Day'. He was a Roman priest martyred for officiating at weddings when the pagan emperor of the day forbade that. His feast day is celebrated by those who use the Roman Missal of 1962 authorised by Pope St John XXIII in the year that the Second Vatican Council began.

You can read about the saint on the website of the Carmelite Friars (OCarm), Whitefriar Street, Dublin. 

Happy SAINT Valentine's Day!

There are various stories and legends about St Valentine. Some say he was a bishop, some that he was a priest. But at the heart of the stories is the reality that he was martyred for officiating at weddings.

His feast day is no longer on the universal calendar of the Catholic Church where the Ordinary Form of the Mass is celebrated, the form of the Mass introduced after the Second Vatican Council, in 1969, the only form of the Mass that most Catholics today have experienced. But his feast day is still on the calendar used by those who celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, using the Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962. 

In many parts of the world St Valentine's Day has become a largely secular affair and the word 'Saint' dropped. Here in the Philippines it is for more than a few an excuse for fornication and adultery, though not by any means for all. For some it is a day to celebrate innocent friendship.

For some years the Catholic Church in Australia has been Putting the Saint Back into St Valentine's Day. That is the Archdiocese of Sydney. The Archdiocese of Melbourne is Celebrating St Valentine. The Australian Catholic Family and Marriage Council has been preparing a kit for the last five years. That for 2014 is here. It includes a link to On the Feast of St Valentine, with Pope Francis! He will be meeting with engaged couples on 14 February.

Shrine of St Valentine

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Dublin 

Relics of St Valentine were given to the Carmelite Friars (OCarm) by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836 and they are in the casket beneath the altar in the photo above, which is a side-altar. You can find the history of the relics and of the saint on the website of the Friars.

On another page you will find the texts for Mass in honour of St Valentine.

Opening Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,

by whose gift blessed Valentine fought

for righteousness’ sake even until death,

grant, we pray, through his intercession,

that we may bear every adversity for the sake of your love

and hasten with all our strength towards you

who alone are life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

One God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Prayer to St Valentine

O glorious advocate and protector,

St Valentine,

look with pity upon our wants,

hear our requests,

attend to our prayers,

relieve by your intercession the miseries

under which we labour,

and obtain for us the divine blessing,

that we may be found worthy to join you

in praising the Almighty for all eternity:

through the merits of

Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Happy SAINT Valentine's Day!

Happy St Valentine's Day!

St Valentine's Day is a big thing here in the Philippines, though usually called 'Valentine's Day'. For some it is an excuse fo fornication and adultery, for others a day to be grateful for friends. It is also a day for getting more money from consumers.

You can find something of the true story of St Valentine, a priest who was martyred for his defence of the sacrament of matrimony,in Misyon, the online magazine I edit for the Columbans in the Philippines. You can find it here.



Below is the Opening Prayer from the Mass of St Valentine. You can find all the prayers and readings for his feast at http://carmelites.ie/Prayer/valentineliturgy.htm . Though the feast of St Valentine is no longer on its General Calendar – 14 February is now the feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius – the Church still venerates him as a martyr who defended the sanctity of marriage. He was truly a model diocesan priest.

OPENING PRAYER

All powerful, ever living God,

You gave St Valentine the courage to witness to the

Gospel of Christ,

even to the point of giving his life for it.

By his prayers help us to endure all suffering for love of you

and to seek you with all our hearts,

for you alone are the source of life.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son . . .

Why we need to put the 'Saint' back in Valentine's Day

An article in yesterday's Philippine Daily Inquirer shows why we need to put the 'Saint' back into 'Valentine's Day': ‘Vulgar, immoral,’ says Church of condom-giving with flowers. The story is reported in CathNews Philippines.

The report quotes Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz (photo), the retired archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan: 'It is vulgar, it is lewd, it is gross. To what extend would they entice young people to be promiscuous? How far are they willing to go in promoting illegitimate carnal relations?'

It is a sad fact that St Valentine's Day in the Philippines for some is simply an excuse for serious sin, for fornication and for adultery. St Valentine died in defence of the holy sacrament of matrimony, in defence of the wonderful dream God has carried in his heart from all eternity for each man and woman whom He has called to marriage. It would seem that the Philippine Department of 'Health' doesn't know what a dream/aspiration is and that young people are incapable of idealism and of genuine love that is a decision for the welfare of the beloved.

Health Warning: Don't hold your breath while waiting for the Secretary of 'Health' to resign.

Putting the Saint Back in Valentine's Day; World Marriage Day

Statue of St Valentine, Church of the Carmelite Friars (OCarm), Dublin

For some years I have been campaigning to put the 'SAINT' back into St Valentines' Day to give its proper meaning to this celebration of a priest martyred because of his defence of the sacrament of matrimony. Read about SAINT Valentine, a priest martyred for celebrating weddings, on the website of the Carmelite Friars (OCarm) in Ireland and on this blog here (2008) and here (2009).

I'm happy to discover that I'm not the only one engaged in this campaign. On 4 February the Catholic Archdiociese of Adelaide, Australia, issued this press release:

Putting the Saint back in Valentine's Day


The Catholic Church has moved to reclaim St Valentine’s Day in a bold campaign focusing on the true meaning of the saint’s feast day and the importance of romance in marriage.


The national initiative, featured in an article in the February issue of The Southern Cross, provides parishes and Catholic school families with practical suggestions for celebrating St Valentine’s Day and encouraging married couples to spend more time together.


St Valentine was executed on February 14, 269AD for going against a decree by Roman ruler Claudius that weddings be suspended because he needed unattached men to serve in his armies.


Archbishop Philip Wilson said the campaign was an opportunity to advocate the sacred bond of marriage. He said one of the great tragedies in society today was the breakdown of marriage and home.


Brochures and other resources such as prepared homilies, items for newsletters and discussion points for community groups have been sent out to parishes and schools.


The St Valentine’s Day campaign is also being publicised through the Catholic Church’s monthly newspaper The Southern Cross, which for the first time is available online in a new publishing arrangement with Solstice Media.


The first digital edition of the 143-year-old Southern Cross comes 10 years after the publication was revamped as a free newspaper distributed to all Catholic school families as well as to parishes throughout the State.


To view the digital version of the February issue of The Southern Cross, visit www.thesoutherncross.org.au

St Valentine kneeling in supplication

Tomorrow, 14 February, is also World Marriage Day.

Happy St Valentine's Day, Happy World Marriage Day, Happy Lunar NewYear!!!