Sorry, St. Valentine, this year I'm celebrating St. Claude in February

[theredpen]

Almost nothing is know of St. Valentine. We know he was an early Roman Christian and that he was reported buried on the Via Flamina on February 14th. His name lived on as a list of early noteworthy Christians that was passed down orally for a the better part of a century until it was documented in 354. In 496, Pope Gelasius I gave St. Valentine a feast day, but noted that while he was worthy of veneration, known one but God Himself knew the details.

The connection of the feast day of St. Valentine to romantic love appears to have been invented by 15th century luminary Geoffry Chaucer. Due to the lack of information about St. Valentine, plus a long-standing smear that activities associated with St. Valentine were pagan, he was removed from the RCC liturgical calendar during Vatican II. Pope Benedict XVI restored authorization to officially commemorate St. Valentine with a "simple feast" July of last Year.

While I think it is highly appropriate to thank Valentine for risking — and probably losing — his life in dedication to the ministry of Christ, I am now officially sick of the essentially secular holiday that has sprung up to try and sell us things in his name. That would have been the end of the story, except for plans I wanted to make next week.

A new restaurant has opened that I want to visit. An old friend works there and offered an expensive dinner "on the house" — how could I refuse? The restaurant can be pretty crowded, so I thought of a great idea: get reservations on the 15th. Even though that's a Friday night, the restaurant shouldn't be too packed, as most people looking for a "special night out" this week will be doing it on Thursday, the 14th, as something to do for Valentine's Day. So, if I'm right, the 15th should be a fairly muted evening; the wife and I hate crowds.

While the feast days of Saints Valentine and Patrick have become fixtures of secular celebrate, every other day of the year is a feast day for some Saint — usually 3-20 of them, depending on where you are. So, on February 15th my wife and I will celebrate St. Claude's Day with a nice dinner. Additionally, as St. Claude is the patron Saint of toy makers, we're each going to buy a toy for each other. (And not the kind some people get each other on Valentine's day, although that would be fine if you're into that kind of thing.)

So I'm encouraging the popularization of St. Claude's Day. Have a feast of some sort and give a toy to someone special.

Now, does anyone have the faintest idea why St. Claude is the patron saint of toy makers because I can't find anything about that.

[pingzing58]

1. According to Lives and Legends of English Bishops and.... by N. D'Anvers

Saint Claude is patron St. of Toymakers because a town in his old diocese named after him has as its main industry the making of whistles and toys.

[theredpen]

2. That would explain why he's also the patron Saint of whistle makers

[pingzing58]

3. As I suspected a medieval whistle is not like the kind used for sporting events today.

The Irish penny whistle, etc., is a musical instrument. So, as you enjoy your evening with the wife exchanging toy gifts celebrating the feast of St. Claude, listen to Irish Tin Whistle music or Wooden Recorder music.
<http://www.thewhistleshop.com/beginners/history/history.htm>