St. Blaise

There are few facts known about St. Blaise except that he was a fourth-century bishop in the city of Sebaste, Western Armenia, and died as a martyr. A physician, he was regarded as a righteous man and, at an early age, elected bishop by the citizens of Sebaste. He was martyred by beheading in the year 316. Beyond those few facts, much of what we know of Blaise comes from legends. He became, during the Middle Ages, one of the most popular of all the saints and today remains highly esteemed.

Legend holds that either en route to prison or after he was incarcerated during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Licinius, two miracles attributed to Blaise occurred. A woman came to the bishop, upset that a wolf had carried off her pig. Blaise offered up prayers, and the wolf returned the pig. Another incident, one for which he is most known, occurred when a mother pleaded for Blaise to cure her son, who was dying from a fish bone lodged in his throat. Blaise prayed over the boy, and the child was healed.

The miraculous cure of the boy suffering from the fish bone — and because Blaise had been a physician — created the belief that St. Blaise could cure most illnesses, but especially those of the throat. As early as the ninth century in the Western Church, he was invoked for throat ailments, and by the 15th century, the blessing of the throat ritual had begun.

Each February 3rd, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Blaise, which is accompanied by the blessing of throats during the Mass. At this blessing, all parishioners desiring a blessing of their throats proceed to the front of the church where the priest with two blessed candles, tied with a red ribbon, holds them in the form of an X. He touches the candles to each side of the person’s neck and says: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat, and from every other evil.” The crossed candles are a symbol of faith and healing. They remind us of the light of Christ and the power of prayer. People receive the blessing with trust that God will protect them through the prayers of Saint Blaise. The red ribbon represents the blood of martyrs, and the candles held in the shape of an “X” also represent the martyrdom of another saint, St. Andrew, who, according to tradition, was crucified on an X-shaped cross.