Presented by Middle School, Grades 5-6
Our Middle School students told us the story of St. Valentine and how Valentine's Day came to be.
Valentines Day traces its roots back to the Christian Feast of Saint Valentine. Not much is known about St. Valentine, except that he was a Roman priest who lived sometime in the 3rd century.
He died on February 14th, and was listed as a Christian martyr in 496 by Pope Gelasius I.
One of the popular stories about Saint Valentine was that he defied the order of the Roman Emperor Claudius and secretly married couples so that the husbands would not have to go to war. Soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a major inconvenience to the emperor.
Since he was also ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire, he was placed in prison.
During his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. Legend states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed, “Your Valentine” as a farewell.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, the myths and beliefs about his life led him to become associated with the ideals of courtly love.
The first recorded association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love occurred in 1382, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules, a poem written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.
The oldest known Valentine’s Day letter in existence was written by the Duke of Orleans, Charles I, to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
In 18th-century England, Valentine’s Day evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering sweets, and sending cards known as “valentines”.
When communication and mail routes improved, Valentine’s Day cards came to become mass produced. Today, nearly 25% of all cards sent each year are “valentines” and it is one of the most celebrated holidays in America.
-- Charlee Allen
Afterwards, the Upper School students recited "Sonnet 43"
This historical thought was delivered by our Middle School students at devotional on 02/13/2025. Each week one class leads the student body in prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, scripture recitation, a meditation, and an historical thought. Family and friends are welcome, Thursdays 8:30-9:05 am.
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