Saint Valentine, Priest & Martyr
S. Valentini Presbyteri et Martyris
A priest of Rome who shed his blood for Christ on the Flaminian Way, honoured by the Church among the martyrs of the early ages, though little of his life is known with certainty.
Saint Valentine is venerated as a holy priest and martyr of the Roman Church. The Roman Martyrology records that he suffered death for Christ at Rome, on the Flaminian Way, and that he was buried there; an ancient basilica raised in his honour bears witness to the early devotion of the faithful to his memory. He is one of those martyrs whose constancy the Church honours even where history has preserved few certain details of their lives.
What Is Certain, and What Is Not
Of the particulars of his life and death little can be affirmed with confidence. The accounts that have come down to us are of a later date and contain much that belongs to pious legend rather than to sober record — so much so that more than one martyr named Valentine may have been honoured on this day. The Church, prudent in such matters, is content to hold fast to what is sure: that a martyr named Valentine gave his life for the faith at Rome, and that his witness was honoured there from ancient times. The popular customs that have since attached to his feast are of much later origin and have no part in his history.
The Witness of the Martyrs
Where the record is silent, the Church still keeps the memory of her martyrs, knowing that their names are written in heaven. Saint Valentine belongs to that great company who, in the long age of persecution, counted the friendship of Christ dearer than life itself. In honouring him we honour all the hidden saints whose deeds are known to God alone, and we ask the grace to be, like them, faithful unto the end.
The Collect
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who keep the heavenly birthday of blessed Valentine, Thy Martyr, may by his intercession be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ…
Præsta, quǽsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut, qui beáti Valentíni Mártyris tui natalítia cólimus, a cunctis malis imminéntibus, eius intercessióne, liberémur.
Patronage
Saint Valentine is honoured among the early Roman martyrs; in later popular devotion he came to be invoked by those who are betrothed, though this association does not derive from the records of his life.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, the feast of Saint Valentine is no longer kept in the universal calendar, his history being too uncertain; his memory is retained in the Roman Martyrology and in some local calendars.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Valentine?
In the traditional Roman calendar the feast of Saint Valentine is kept on 14 February as a feast of the Fourth Class, in red vestments. It was removed from the universal modern calendar in 1969 because so little of his history is certain.
Who was Saint Valentine?
Saint Valentine was a priest and martyr of the Roman Church who suffered death for Christ on the Flaminian Way at Rome. Beyond this, few reliable details of his life have survived, and the later accounts contain much legendary material.
Do the popular customs of Saint Valentine’s Day come from the saint?
No. The familiar customs associated with the day are of much later origin and are not drawn from the saint’s history. The Church honours Saint Valentine simply as a martyr who gave his life for the faith.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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