St Valentine: From Rome to Dublin

(Vatican Radio) The 14th of February marks the Feast of St Valentine, also known as St Valentine’s Day. This third century Saint and Martyr who served as a priest in Rome is also patron of Love, marriages, engagements, young people, as well as people with epilepsy.

Not much is known about this Saints’ early life, but what is known is that he became famous for marrying couples who were in love but couldn’t get legally married in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II.

On hearing that Valentine was performing weddings, the Emperor sent him to jail. However, Claudius offered to pardon Valentine if he renounced his Christian faith and agreed to worship the Roman gods.

Valentine refused and in doing so signed his own death warrant.
The story moves on to 1835 and to an Irish Carmelite called Father John Spratt. Fr Spratt was known for his work with the poor of Dublin in Ireland. He was also responsible for the building of a new church to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Whitefriar Street in the city.

While he was in Rome Fr Spratt became well known for his talents as a preacher. His fame reached the ear of Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) who gave him, as a token of his esteem, some of the remains of Saint Valentine.

The relics arrived at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, known to Dubliners simply as Whitefriar Street in November 1836 where they have remained to this day.

People, including couples, flock to the Shrine to St Valentine located in the Church during the year and especially on St Valentine’s Day itself.

The Church is run by the Carmelite Order who have become well used to the curiosity surrounding their Church and its connection to this famous Saint.

Father Bernard Murphy is a priest at the Whitefriar Street. He explained that on St Valentine’s Day itself the relics are put on the main altar for veneration. “We take them out [the relics] and we put them in front of the main altar for the day”. He adds that, he will “often by asked to bless an engagement ring”.

Fr Bernard says that there is a book on the St Valentine’s altar in which people can write down “their requests, prayers and hopes, not just for themselves but for others”. Listen to Lydia O’Kane's interview with Carmelite Father Bernard Murphy