Saint Valentine

St. Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday celebrating romantic love. This custom appears to have originated during the Middle Ages in England and France from the belief that half-way through the second month of the year the birds began to pair. This day was named after the saint because it fell on the Feast of Saint Valentine on the Church calendar.

There are actually three Saint Valentine’s listed in early martyrologies (lists of the faithful who were martyred) on February 14. One suffered martyrdom in Africa and no more is known of him. The other two both lived near Rome and suffered persecution and death under Emperor Claudius II. One was a priest, the other a bishop. Both were buried on the Flaminian Way outside of Rome. Saint Valentine, the priest, helped St. Marius comfort the Christians during the persecutions of the Emperor and was eventually arrested for his faith. He was clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 270. Nearly a century later, Pope Julius I had a basilica built at his tomb.

Yes! Love should be celebrated on Saint Valentine’s Day! Not secular romantic love, but the divine love of Christ. In this illustration two Roman soldiers, sent on a mission to arrest St. Valentine, enter the catacombs. But they are held back by a mysterious mist until he can finish preaching the Gospel to the young couple. The doves remind us of the story of Noah and the olive branch brought back after the flood. It is a symbol of God’s love and covenant with Noah and his family, giving them a new life. The baptismal font is a sign of cleansing from the flood. New life is represented by the olive shoot in the center. Noah’s story is a foreshadowing of the new life in Christ. The eagle is an ancient symbol for Christ’s divine nature and of clear and sharp sight. Here it holds up the clear message of the Gospel. The peacock represents the Resurrection, our hope of life to come. The carved roses above the archway are the “mystical rose”, a symbol for the Virgin Mary, who is another model of divine love. The doves are carrying banners with the Latin word “caritas” and the Greek word “agape.” These are words for the highest form of love - to will the good of another over oneself.


	Saint Valentine St. Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday celebrating romantic love. This custom appears to have originated during the Middle Ages in England and France from the belief that half-way through the second month of the year the birds began to pair. This day was named after the saint because it fell on the Feast of Saint Valentine on the Church calendar. There are actually three Saint Valentine’s listed in early martyrologies (lists of the faithful who were martyred) on February 14. One suffered martyrdom in Africa and no more is known of him. The other two both lived near Rome and suffered persecution and death under Emperor Claudius II. One was a priest, the other a bishop. Both were buried on the Flaminian Way outside of Rome. Saint Valentine, the priest, helped St. Marius comfort the Christians during the persecutions of the Emperor and was eventually arrested for his faith. He was clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 270. Nearly a century later, Pope Julius I had a basilica built at his tomb. Yes! Love should be celebrated on Saint Valentine’s Day! Not secular romantic love, but the divine love of Christ. In this illustration two Roman soldiers, sent on a mission to arrest St. Valentine, enter the catacombs. But they are held back by a mysterious mist until he can finish preaching the Gospel to the young couple. The doves remind us of the story of Noah and the olive branch brought back after the flood. It is a symbol of God’s love and covenant with Noah and his family, giving them a new life. The baptismal font is a sign of cleansing from the flood. New life is represented by the olive shoot in the center. Noah’s story is a foreshadowing of the new life in Christ. The eagle is an ancient symbol for Christ’s divine nature and of clear and sharp sight. Here it holds up the clear message of the Gospel. The peacock represents the Resurrection, our hope of life to come. The carved roses above the archway are the “mystical rose”, a symbol for the Virgin Mary, who is another model of divine love. The doves are carrying banners with the Latin word “caritas” and the Greek word “agape.” These are words for the highest form of love - to will the good of another over oneself.