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Valentine
was born in Italy in the third century. He was the Bishop of
Terni and a renowned Holy man. A Roman philosopher begged him
to cure his son, who was deathly ill, and Valentine agreed on
the condition that the man and his family convert to Christianity.
The man agreed and the Bishop traveled to Rome, curing his child.
A pagan prefect, upon hearing the news of the miraculous healing,
had Valentine beheaded and his body was returned to Terni. Valentine
has been associated with lovers because of an ancient late winter
Roman festival in honor of the Goddess Juno, in which boys randomly
drew the name of an unmarried girl and then beat her gently
with sheepskin to guarantee her purity. In medieval times, it
was believed that birds chose their mate on February 14, which
is Valentine’s feast day. |
To
order
click on one of
the links below
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| St.
Valentine
Patron St. of
Lovers |
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