Although the Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize St. Valentine as a Saint of the church, he was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the lack of reliable information about him. By some accounts, St. Valentine was a Roman priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus about c.269. > According to legend, St. Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness. Another common legend states that he defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. St. Valentine was supposedly executed near Rome by the anti-Christian Claudius II. The crime? Helping Roman soldiers to marry when they were forbidden to by their Christian faith at the time. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I described St. Valentine as a martyr like those "whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." >
Thousands of years later, St. Valentine still evokes a sense of love for family and each other. Let us expand that love to our church and daily prayer. Please read our February newsletter, A Joyful Word, to see how a simple, yet powerful prayer, can have a positive impact on your daily life. > Also this month, Holy Family is offering a book for purchase recounting the beauty and stories behind our historic stained-glass windows, written by Louis Baum, archivist. The book was born from his love for our church and our ancestors, who sacrificed to bring splendor of the stories of salvation to St. Mary's Church.
Included in the newsletter is information about the book and how to purchase it. I invite you to take advantage of all that is taking place in our Parish. These events give us the opportunity to strengthen one another in faith. Check the bulletin for other opportunities to give through a weekly food drive, blood donor drives, clothing giveaways, and more.