My Dear Parish Family:

The Catholic Faith embraces many traditions that assist us in our lives. The Saints of the Church have many legends about them to assist us in our love and devotion for these holy men and women. One such Saint is Blaise. He was a physician and legend has it that a mother came to St. Blaise because her child was choking on a fish bone, and moved with pity for her, he prayed and blessed the child who was cured. This is why we have our throats blessed on the feast of St. Blaise.

St. Blaise also loved animals and legend says that animals would come to him on their own when they had been hurt or needed to be cured and he would help all who came to him. Another legend says one time a woman came to St. Blaise because a wolf had seized the woman’s pig and St. Blaise ordered the wolf to give back the pig who was restored to the woman unhurt and alive.

Later when the Saint was in prison awaiting to be executed because he refused to renounce his faith in Jesus, the pig whom St. Blaise saved from the wolf appeared to him and left two candles so that the Saint would have light in his dark gloomy cell.

Obviously, not all the legends that surround our Saints are true, but they are told to inspire us all to believe in the care and love God has for all of us. God can do anything for us and desires to help us in every way, but we must believe in HIM. We must trust that God wants to heal us, help us and forgive us always.

Today we will bless all the throats of everyone who wishes to have her/his throat blessed with two candles at the throat with a blessing invoking the intercession of St. Blaise. We know only God heals, but we can always ask the Saints (as well as one another) to intercede for us for every ailment of the body, mind and soul.

Until next week, Happy St. Blaise Day. St. Benedict and Cardinal Cooke, Servant of God, pray for us!

Fr. Stephen Norton