St. Valentine was a Roman priest martyred for Christ in the third century, and his feast on February 14 became, centuries later, the world’s day of love. Behind the hearts and roses stands a real martyr whose story the Church still remembers, and Catholics have long asked his prayers for engaged couples, for married love and for those hoping to find the person God has for them. Below are prayers to St. Valentine for each of these, Scripture on love, and the history of the saint and his day.
A prayer to St. Valentine
Written for this page:
St. Valentine, priest and martyr,
you loved Christ more than your own life.
Pray for all who love, that their love may be pure, faithful and generous,
a reflection of the love of God.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for couples
St. Valentine, bless (names) and the love they share.
Help them to respect and cherish each other,
to be honest, patient and kind,
and to grow together in faith,
so that their love may lead them both closer to God. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for engaged couples
St. Valentine, patron of engaged couples,
pray for (names) as they prepare for marriage.
Help them to prepare not only for the wedding day but for a lifetime together,
to make a good marriage preparation,
and to welcome Christ as the third partner in their marriage. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic wedding guide and the prayers of the faithful for a Catholic wedding.
A prayer for married love
Lord, through the prayers of St. Valentine,
renew the love between my husband (wife) and me.
Heal our hurts, forgive our failings,
rekindle our tenderness and keep us faithful until death. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for marriage.
A prayer to find a spouse
St. Valentine, you know my longing to love and be loved.
If it is God’s will that I marry,
lead me to a good and faithful spouse who loves God.
Meanwhile, keep my heart pure and hopeful,
and let me find my joy in the love of Christ. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. St. Raphael is also invoked for finding a spouse: see the novena to St. Raphael.
Scripture on love
Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames.
Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it: if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing.
Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;
Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
And we have known, and have believed the charity, which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.
Who was St. Valentine?
The ancient lists of martyrs record a Valentine, a priest of Rome, martyred around the year 269 under the emperor Claudius II and buried on the Via Flaminia, north of the city, on February 14. They also record a Valentine, bishop of Terni (ancient Interamna) in Umbria, martyred and buried on the same road. Many historians think the two accounts describe the same man. Churches were built over his tomb, and his relics are venerated today in several places, including Rome, Terni and the Carmelite church of Whitefriar Street in Dublin.
The popular stories of Valentine secretly marrying soldiers, or sending a note signed “your Valentine,” are later legends. The link between his feast and romantic love seems to have begun in the fourteenth century, when the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote that birds choose their mates on “Saint Valentine’s day,” in mid-February.
Because so little is known about him, his memorial was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, and February 14 is now the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the apostles of the Slavs. St. Valentine remains a saint, listed in the Roman Martyrology on February 14, and Catholics may still honor him.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: February 14 (in the Roman Martyrology). A novena can run from February 5 to 13.
- Patron of: engaged couples, happy marriages, love, beekeepers and those suffering from epilepsy.
- Symbols: priestly vestments, a sword (his martyrdom), birds and roses.
Frequently asked questions
Was St. Valentine a real person?
Yes. He was a real martyr of the third century, a priest of Rome, buried on the Via Flaminia, even though many stories told about him are later legends.
Is St. Valentine still a saint?
Yes. His memorial was removed from the universal calendar in 1969 because little is known about him, but he is still a saint in the Roman Martyrology and may be honored.
Why is St. Valentine the patron of love?
His feast in mid-February came to be associated with love in the Middle Ages, when poets wrote that birds paired off on St. Valentine’s Day.
What should Catholics do on Valentine’s Day?
Celebrate love as God’s gift: pray for your spouse or future spouse, go to Mass together if you can, and remember that February 14 is also the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
More prayers
- Catholic prayer for marriage
- Novena to St. Raphael
- Catholic prayer for pregnancy
- Prayers to popular saints
- Unusual patron saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Canticle of Canticles (Song of Songs) 8:6–7; 1 Corinthians 13:4–7; 1 John 4:16, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- Geoffrey Chaucer, The Parliament of Fowls (fourteenth century).
- The prayers were written for this page.