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The Catholic Church has dropped St. Valentine's Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide feasts. But the holiday has both Roman and Catholic roots.

Seasonal Features
St. Valentine’s Day

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A Valentine From St. Thomas Aquinas




The Origins of St. Valentine’s Day
From AmericanCatholic.org
The day dedicated to love, which has its roots in ancient Rome and on which the Church recalls a martyred saint.


Who Was St. Valentine?
From St. Anthony Messenger magazine
How did the holiday of love and romance originate and, more importantly, how did St. Valentine become involved? The answers to those questions are not easy ones. Valentine’s Day is a holiday shrouded in mystery and legend.


God Is Love: Pope Benedict’s First Encyclical
From Catholic Update, St. Anthony Messenger Press
A condensed version of Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical, God Is Love. In it, Pope Benedict speaks of the love that God provides, which we must turn around and share with others.


Making Marriages Stronger
From St. Anthony Messenger magazine
For more than 30 years, the Marriage Enrichment Weekend Program has been helping couples strengthen their marriages. A similar program for engaged couples starts them off right.


Sacrament of Marriage
From AmericanCatholic.org
For Catholics, the sacrament of marriage is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: The loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values.


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Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions: Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28). 
<p>All of these martyrs except three were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. All of these martyrs belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico's leaders once made it a crime to receive Baptism or celebrate the Mass. </p><p>These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.</p> American Catholic Blog The Creator of all creation is totally perfect and totally holy. Taking His name in vain doesn’t make God any less holy, but it does make His <i>name </i>less holy in the eyes of the world.

 
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Embracing Motherhood

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Drink more deeply of the living water of the Holy Spirit in this new book from Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa!
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The Catholics Next Door—new book!
Greg and Jennifer Willits offer insight for every Catholic stumbling toward a more fruitful relationship with God.

 
CATHOLIC GREETINGS
Birthday
May God bless you today with joyful surprises as we remember the day He brought you to life.
Seventh Sunday of Easter
The Easter season officially ends one week from today, but that’s no reason to stop rejoicing!
Armed Forces Day
Lord God, we ask you to bless the members of our armed forces with courage, hope and strength.
Easter Season
The Easter season officially ends one week from Sunday, but that’s no reason to stop rejoicing!
Ascension of the Lord
Many begin a pre-Pentecost novena to the Holy Spirit with the observance of today’s feast.



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