February, 2022
Irish Arts & Entertainment
Page 9
SAINT VALENTINE'S IRISH CONNECTION Th e Pat r on Sain t Of Lover s Is Bu r ied In Du blin Th is is a good year t o r em in d ou r r eader 's abou t Sain t Valen t in e's Ir ish Con n ect ion . Ash Wedn esday f alls ju st t h r ee days af t er Sain t Valen t in e's Day t h is year so it som eh ow seem s f it t in g t h at ou r t ale in volves a f am ou s Du blin Ch u r ch , a Pope an d a ver y det er m in ed Ir ish Fr iar . This interesting twist of histor y happened in 1835 when a basilica built at the site of St. Valentine's gr ave in Rome was being renovated and the long for gotten bones of St. Valentine along with a small vessel tinged with his blood and some other ar tifacts were unear thed under an alter. An I r ish Car melite, Fr iar John Spr att was visiting Rome. He was well known in I reland as an activist and preacher and wor ked tirelessly among the poor and destitute in Dublin?s L iber ties area. Another proj ect of Spr att's was the building of the new church to Our L ady of M ount Car mel on Whitefr iar Street. While I n Rome, his preaching skills made him a bit of an ecclesiastic celebr ity and the r ich and famous flocked in to hear his ser mons. The good fr iar received " many tokens of esteem from the doyens of the Church." One such gift was from Pope Gregor y XVI (1831-1846); the authentic and holy remains of Saint Valentine. The good pr iest retur ned to Dublin, continued his mission among the downtrodden and over saw the completion of the Whitefr iar 's Church. The next year on November 10, 1836, when the Reliquar y containing the remains ar r ived in I reland; Archbishop M ur r ay of Dublin led a solemn procession to Whitefr iar Street Church where they were enshr ined. Sadly, after Father Spr att died in 1871 at the r ipe old age of 75, interest in the relics waned and they went into stor age. I n the 1950s/60s dur ing a maj or restor ation of Our L ady of M ount Car mel; the decision was made to constr uct a shr ine and new alter within the church, popular ly known as the Whitefr iar 's Chapel dedicated to Saint Valentine. The idea was a sincere desire to make better use of the precious relics. I t proved to be a wise decision as the good Saint Valentine is credited by many for his generosity and inter vention in making their lives better. Fir st time visitor s to Whitefr ier s are delighted at what they see, it is a beautiful and well cared for church. As you enter, the statue of Valentinus, the beloved patron saint of love is on the r ight side of the church. I t was car ved in the ear ly 1960's by
ST VAL ENTI NE WROTE L OVE L ETTERS From Pr ison awaiting his execution by Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus Dublin bor n ar tist/sculptor I rene Broe (1923 - 1992) and depicts the saint in the red vestments of a mar tyr, holding a crocus in his hand. Saint Valentine's Shr ine is visited throughout the year by couples who come to pr ay to the ever car ing Valentine and to ask him to watch over them in their lives together. I n the 1800's collecting relics had a br ief revival. I n the M iddle Ages entire towns, cathedr als and monaster ies were built around the " Holy Remains of Vir tuous Saints" . I t was a custom that lasted hundreds of year s.
