St. Valentine s Day honors love and heroism
By MICHELLE BOSWORTH
Staff writer
St. Valentine's Day. As we celebrate the holiday this year, do we think about how it came into being? Who is Saint Valentine? And why do we celebrate a day in honor of him?
The Catholic Church has at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. They all were martyred.
One legend has it that Valentine served as a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Believing that single men proved to be better soldiers than those who had wives and children, Claudius outlawed marriage for young men.
Valentine recognized the injustice of the decree and continued performing secret marriage ceremonies. When Claudius found out what was happening, he ordered Valentine put to death.
Some other stories suggest that Valentine, attempting to help Christians escape punishment and torture in prisons, was himself killed. One legend has Valentine sending the first "valentine" greeting himself.
According to this legend, Valentine fell in love with a young girl (possibly the jailer's daughter). Supposedly before his death, he wrote to her and signed the letter 'From your Valentine.'
Although the stories concerning Saint Valentine are shrouded in mystery, he was one of the most popular saints in England and France during the Middle Ages. He was viewed as a sympathetic, heroic, and romantic figure.
So, as we again celebrate a holiday focused on love, let's not forget the other aspects of St. Valentine's life which endeared him to countless generations.
