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Dec 29th, 2019
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Dear Friends,
How do you celebrate St Valentine's Day?
All this talk about Altar Girls and Deaconesses inspired this question . . .
Alex
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Dear Alex,
The association that you make between altar girls & deaconesses and Valentine's Day sort of supports the point of those opposed to the former two.
Now my Valentine's Day story:
A day after Valentine's Day my wife came up to me and said, "I saw all kinds of hearts around. Weren't you supposed to do something yesterday or take me somewhere and spend money on me? You got away free!" I replied, "That's why I married a foreigner!"
In Christ.
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Dear Andrew, Yes, that's why I made that connection . . .  St Valentine's Day is the anniversary marking when my wife first started to like me. After our first two dates, her feelings about me remained about the same . . . general loathing! I then played a trick on her. I sent a large bouquet of the finest flowers to her, but didn't enclose a card. The poor thing called every boy she knew to tell them, "Thank you for the flowers" to try and discover who would spend that kind of money on her . . . I was the very LAST person she called. As she did with everyone else (about 17 others), she said, "Thank you for the flowers." To which I meekly replied, "You are welcome. Happy St Valentine's Day!" She never mentioned it again, never talked about it, but we got on famously afterwards. I think you would have an easier time understanding purgatory, the icon of Abraham's Hospitality etc. than you would women. Don't you think?  Alex
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St. Valentine's Day is very special to me because it was in a church dedicated to him (in Bloomfield, NJ) that I was baptized. So, on that day I renew my Baptismal promises as well as my Act of Total Consecration to Jesus Christ the Incarnate Wisdom through Mary. Hopefully my connection with St. Valentine will help me in my efforts to become the perfect lover of the Lord and the Theotokos.
Happy Valentine's Day to all the Forum members!
Only blessings, Silouan
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Joined: Mar 2002
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Normally there would be the flowers and a candlelight dinner for the love of my life, only this year, it won't happen that way, as she'll be in the arms of another...  Now, where did I put that Patsy Cline cd....
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Dear Alex,
Definitely. Funny how that is, but theological books, why they cost next to nothing these days or I can go to a free library and borrow one. But wives, they are nothing like books, so expensive, and definitely not to be borrowed under any conditions!
Andrew
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Brother Alex- After 24 Valentines Days with my wife, the best thing we do for each other now is thank God for the other. As a matter of fact, last year we reviewed where the other 5 couples we used to hang around with were in life, in fact all 5 had divorced. There has always been something special about St Valentines day for us, reflection, peace, love, and hope for the future. She was only 16 when we met, and you know, even after all these years, for some reason, on that day, it is 1979 again.
Praise God for Love
Michael
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I have given up thinking. I just believe you are right. Originally posted by Orthodox Catholic: I think you would have an easier time understanding purgatory, the icon of Abraham's Hospitality etc. than you would women.
Don't you think?
Alex
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On February 14 the Latin Church does not celebrate the memory of peoples in love's protector (the memory of St Valentine has got only local character) but the memory of St Cyril (who reposed at Rome on February 14, 869)and Methodius, Equal-To-the-Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs. That day the (Byzantine) Church also celebrates the feast of St Maron (patron of the Maronites nation and one of the most important saints of the Antiochian Church).
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Dear Francisco, I think we are all going to sign a petition to the Administrator to award you "Most Eastern" person here! On Valentine's Day, you will be our "Byzantine Poster Boy!" Alex
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Dear Michael,
A truly moving story - that is how I feel on St Valentine's Day as well, the day my wife and I first began to feel for each other!
Eastern Europeans and Ukrainians I know seem to celebrate March 8th, International Women's Day, as their "Valentine's Day."
We have women activists who celebrate March 8th here too.
But I think they prefer to go out with other women . . .
Alex
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Dear Alex,
Please believe me if I tell you that I do not want this award but I am sure that you will love to know that years ago the Orthodox Church of Greece tried to find alternative feast to the Latin feast of St Valantine. One of these alternatives was the common celebration of the memory of Saint Aqila (14 July) and his wife Priscilla (13 February)on February 13, as example of Christian marital love and apostolic action. In Spain, before the promotion of the "devotion" to St Valantine (a Roman unmarried priest who became the protector of people in love because his Church in Rome was used by Roman couples for their premarital "meetings") by the big commercial centers, St Anthony of Padova was consider the protector of the people in love and the girls looking after a good fiance.
Yours in Christ
F
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Joined: Nov 2001
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Dear Francisco,
How fascinating!
The French in Quebec invoke St Anne for the same purpose and here is a popular prayer said by young women:
Good Saint Anne
Send me a man
As fast as you can!
My in-laws' Ukrainian Catholic parish had a St Valentine's Day tea party last weekend and a book-sale.
They had 200+ people in attendance in that small church hall, many also who came from the wider community and who do not belong to the parish.
They seem not too concerned with calendar or liturgical issues.
For them, it all boils down to good perogies!
Alex
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