Tuesday, February 2 after 6:00pm Mass
Wednesday, February 3 after 8:30am Mass

On Wednesday, February 3 the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Blaise, the bishop of Sebaste in Armenia who was martyred in the year 316. The oldest accounts tell us that Blaise was a physician at Sebaste before he was made bishop. At the time of the early 4th century persecution under Licinius, he was taken prisoner at the command of the governor, Agricolaus. After suffering various forms of torture St. Blase was beheaded.

The most popular story attributed to St. Blaise occurred while he was in prison, when he cured a young a boy with a fishbone in his throat who was in danger of choking to death. That story, and the fact that St. Blaise had been a doctor, made the saint very popular for intercessory prayer for throat ailments.

At an early date, the veneration of this Eastern saint was brought into Europe, and Blaise became one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages. Numberless churches and altars were dedicated to him.

On the vigil of his feast, and on the feast itelf, the blessing of St. Blaise will be given in St. Stephen Church. The blessing of the throat is carried out using two white taper candles that were blessed on the previous day, February 2, the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas Day) (see previous story). The white color of the candles symbolizes purity. A red ribbon draped over the base of the candles symbolizes the martyrdom of St. Blaise. The candles are grasped in an X-shape and held up to the throat of the person receiving the blessing: "Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

I don’t know about you, but after all of the yelling I did in the Superdome last Sunday, I could sure use a blessing for my throat!