St. Valentine's Day?
Wrong calendar Bobby, you're4 months and 5 days early!.
Martyr Tryphon for us Old Calendarists today.
MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax) - Relics of the martyr St. Valentine, transferred by the Catholic community of the Italian town of Terni to the Russian Orthodox Church, will be displayed in the Christ the Savior Cathedral, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia said during the transfer ceremony.
"The relics of the martyr St.Valentine will be displayed in the cathedral so our believers will be able to pray before them," the Russian patriarch said. He also said that "Russian believers view this transfer as a spiritual act. Russian believers now have an opportunity to remember St.Valentine on the day of his memory, and also pray before his sacred relics," he said.
Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, the leader of the Italian delegation, said that "this event symbolizes deep affinity in the joint professing of the Holy Gospel."
He also said that the third millenium will be a millenium of "peace and Christian love."
The idea to transfer the relics of the martyr St.Valentine was proposed by Vincenzo Paglia, head of the christian community of the Italian town of Terni. An agreement on the transfer was reached with the Russian patriarch back in July, 2001. Paglia believes that the transfer of part of the relics will strengthen cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic community of Terni.
In the West, St.Valentine is considered the patron saint of lovers.
The tradition of marking the day of lovers on February 14 has taken root in Russia in recent years. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, marks St.Valentine's Day on July 19. In Russia the patron saints of family and marriage are St.Peter and St.Fevronia, the Moscow Patriarchate said.
EDIT: Sorry for the double post.
I posted this before it seems.
