Saint Blaise Feast Day Today

Martyrdom of Saint Blaise, Girolamo da Santacroce

Saint Blaise was the bishop of Sebastea and a doctor. February 3rd is his feast day. He is the Patron Saint of woolcombers, wild animals, and suffers from throat diseases.

The first known record of the saint's life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus who lived after St. Blaise and likely wrote about Blaise in the late 5th or 6th century. Amidenus depicts Blaise helping patients suffering from objects stuck in their throats. Blaise is said to have performed a cure of a boy who had a fishbone in his throat who was choking. Among healing miracles credited to Blaise, he was said to cure diseased beasts during his refuge in the country away from persecution that had came to pass under Emperor Diocletian beginning in 303. Diocletian demanded that Christian comply with traditional Roman religious practices. 

In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, had Bishop Blaise arrested for being a Christian. St. Blaise was tortured with iron combs, beaten and beheaded.

In many churches on 3rd February – his feast day – the blessing of throats takes place. 

Crossed candles are placed against the throat and the priest or minister says: 

"Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other evil: in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

As a child in Catholic Schools, we always had our throat blessed each year on this day. Today, I had mine blessed at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Crystal Lake, Illinois, after our That Man is You session this morning. It was wonderful. 

Like many saints,  writings about St. Blaise were done many years after his death. St. Blaise was (and is) a particularly popular saint. 

Larry Norris is the publisher of Sports and Faith Book 2 and Pilgrimage by Patrick McCaskey.