With February 14 just around the corner, our attention turns to St. Valentine and the other saints of this month with one of our favorite Catholic writers and journalists, Brian O’Neel, now the director of communications at the Diocese of Santa Rosa. We start with a little commiserating with respect to our favorite football teams and Tony wonders whether there is a patron saint for poor play calling. We also discuss what Brian’s new job entails at the diocese and how he ended up there. Brian also gives us a quick primer on the difference between a saint and a “blessed,” and how one moves up the ranks to eventual sainthood in the Catholic Church. (A more complete discussion of this can be found at his earlier podcasts and his books, linked below.)
It is then off to 3rd century Rome where we find out that there is not just one St. Valentine, but possibly two. Brian briefs us on both individuals, one a bishop in Tierney, Italy and another “just” a priest, each of whom suffered persecution at the hands of the Emperor Claudius for openly professing their faith. He talks about some of the activities each of these individuals performed, including marrying Roman soldiers (and whether or not that was a controversy) and curing a blind girl named Julia and then signing a note to her that said “Your Valentine.” Brian also notes that the first “Valentine’s Day Card” can be traced back to the 15th century.
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