Just who is this St. Valentine and why do we celebrate his day in February with romantic notions of cards, flowers, and chocolates? Well, there isn’t a clear cut answer, but many believe that he was a priest in third century Rome. Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage to keep soldiers from deserting his army. It is said that Valentine performed marriages in secret for which he was imprisoned and eventually killed. Before dying, he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter and left her a goodbye note which he signed “From your Valentine.” Sighhhh… Two centuries later, he was deemed the patron saint of lovers and his celebration day is February 14.
