With Valentines coming up, I decided to take a look at St. Valentine. I'm not Catholic, but I do enjoy learning about early Christians, and that's really what the Saints were: real people that over time may have had some myth's attached to them, but who had real faith and lived it out in such a way that Christians over time thought they were worth remembering. A while back I learned about the life of St. Patrick, and found it fascinating and inspiring to learn about this early missionary. I wondered about St. Valentine. I learned a while back that Valentines day is named after an early Christian Saint, and wanted to learn more.
Valentine lived and was martyred on February 14th sometime around 269- 273 AD. Early lists of Martyrs, which were sparce on details, list three Valentines martyred on the 14th (two in Rome, one in Africa)--and so it's very possible that the later stories about him were actually the combined stories of the two Valentines martyred in Rome. When Pope Gelasius I established the feast of St. Valentine on February 14th in 496 AD, he described Valentine as among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." (Wikipedia)
Some stories say that Valentines was arrested for marrying Christians, because at the time there was a law against marrying young because the emperor wanted young men to be free to become soldiers. Another says he was arrested for refusing to make pagan sacrificing. Many describe him, while in jail, healing the jailors blind daughter. Most of the stories involve him trying to convert the Emperor, and that ultimately leading to his death.
If you decide to teach about Saint Valentine, here's some printables I found which may be useful:
Saint Valentines Short Bio and Worksheets (5th - 7th) - could be read to younger children.
Saint Valentine Brochure/Notebooking Page (3rd - 5th)
Mixed Up Valentines Sentences (1st - 2nd)
St. Valentines Story Powerpoint
St Valentines Day Coloring Page
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