1962 Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Saint Valentine. Valentine, a priest of Rome, was martyred, it would appear, in about 270 AD. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young, unattached males. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, continued to perform marriages in secret for young lovers. Valentine's defiance was discovered, and Claudius ordered him put to death. Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage.
Pope Gelasius declared 14 February as Saint Valentine's Day around 498 AD, but the Roman Catholic Church dropped St. Valentine from the calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts in 1969. Saint Valentine has come to be known as the patron saint of lovers.
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