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As a veteran theology teacher in a Catholic high school, I have found throughout the years that, as mid-February approaches, the same two things invariably happen: I realize that 1) at least a few of my students do not actually know that February 14 is officially called “Saint” Valentine’s Day, and 2) at least a few of my students do not know that Saint Valentine was an actual person at all. I do not blame them. After all, as adolescents, they may very well simply equate the day with more drama than can be mustered during a performance of West Side Story. In fact, the first situation is more than likely due to various factors within society that deserve their own category of circumstantial discussion.
However, the second situation presents the faithful with a rather unique opportunity: to learn and spread the knowledge that there are actually three Saint Valentines… and we in the Catholic Church have known about them for over a millennium and a half! But why do we not take the time to amply recognize these three figures, that is, beyond the legends that have resulted in myriad cardiac slips of crimson construction paper coursing their way through innumerable inter-school correspondence systems well before the days when digital media facilitated the use of heart emojis?
We have varying amounts of information regarding the lives of the three Saint Valentines, but interestingly, there are three noteworthy details that they had in common: they each lived under the Roman Empire, they were each brutally martyred for professing their faith in Jesus Christ, and they each have a shared feast day of February 14. Thus, it is worthwhile to take some time to learn (what we know, anyway) about the heroic witness of these three men. Nonetheless, I will not reiterate their biographical information here, because it can be readily accessed on such websites as those containing the articles The Origins of St. Valentine's Day (courtesy of AmericanCatholic.org/Franciscan Media), St. Valentine (courtesy of Catholic Online), Saint Valentine's Day (courtesy of the Catholic Encyclopedia), and Fr. William Saunders’ History of St. Valentine (courtesy of the Diocese of Arlington [Virginia]’s Catholic Herald).
It would be good practice for the Catholic faithful (or anyone else interested, for that matter) to take a few minutes to read through each of these entries about the trio of Saint Valentines, in order to become more familiar with the sanctity of these courageous men. Yet, why? What could there be about the three Saint Valentines other than the furtherance of pretentious romance or fleeting sentimentality at worst, or the reliable sale of heart-shaped vessels of chocolates and lint-disseminating stuffed bears at best? What more could there be?
We are now in the midst of Lent, steadily preparing ourselves to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. Recalling the lives and the sacrifices of the three Saint Valentines reorients our focus on the ultimate love that endures – the Lord’s sacrificial love on the cross, dying for our sins, as he knew he would from the beginning of time: “But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The three Saint Valentines lived for the Lord and died for the Lord, just as Christ first lived for us and died for us, only to rise for us so that we could have the opportunity to likewise rise to eternal life with him.
This Saint Valentine’s Day, try to wish everyone you meet a blessed “Saint” Valentine’s Day. Hopefully the hearer of this charity-laden greeting will be drawn to reflect on the wonderful reality that behind this holiday is not merely a cache of made-for-TV romantic comedies or $5.00 greeting cards (and I am prepared to publicly admit, as surely as my wife will acknowledge, that these cost approximately $4.50 too much). Perhaps you went from thinking that there was just one Saint Valentine to learning that there are actually three. There is always room for another saint, and with the intercessory help of all three Saint Valentines, you might be counted along with them one day, beholding the Beatific Vision and basking in the true love of the God who is at the center of our soul’s desire. What a spiritually sweet prospect.
Saint Valentine, pray for us! Saint Valentine, pray for us! Saint Valentine, pray for us!
A lifelong resident of the Archdiocese of Washington, Justin has taught theology and Spanish at his alma mater, Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland, since 2006.
Justin has written widely on various aspects of the Catholic faith. His books include Called to Teach: Daily Inspiration for Catholic Educators, Called to Pray: Daily Prayers for Catholic Schools, The History of the Catholic Church (a textbook), and Alleluia to Amen: The Prayer Book for Catholic Parishes. Justin is active in pro-life ministries, and serves on the volunteer board of directors for the Forestville Pregnancy Center.
Justin holds an M.A. in Spanish Language and Culture from the Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), an M.A. in International History from Staffordshire University (England), and an M.A. in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Justin has studied philosophy and theology at Seton Hall University, and Church history from the University of Notre Dame’s Satellite Theological Education Program, for whom he has likewise taught various online courses.
Justin, his wife Bernadette, and their children live in Bowie, Maryland, where they attend Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Justin is a lay member of the Order of Saint Dominic. You can follow him on Twitter (@JustinMcClainOP).
