St. Blaise

Feast Day: February 3

A mother came running to Blaise with her child.

The boy was choking.

A fish bone had become lodged in his throat, and his life was in danger.

According to ancient Christian tradition, Blaise prayed over the child.

The boy recovered.

That story would be remembered for centuries.

Today, Catholics throughout the world still gather around the feast of St. Blaise to receive a special blessing of the throat, often given with two crossed candles.

But Blaise was more than the saint connected with sore throats.

He was a bishop.

He lived when being a Christian could lead to arrest and death.

When persecution came, tradition says he withdrew for a time to a cave, where even wild animals became associated with his care.

Eventually, he was captured.

The authorities demanded that he abandon Christ.

Blaise refused.

The bishop who had prayed for the healing of others ultimately gave his own life for the faith.

St. Blaise, pray for us.

Who Was St. Blaise?

St. Blaise was an early Christian bishop and martyr traditionally associated with Sebaste in Armenia, in what is now part of Turkey.

He likely lived during the late third and early fourth centuries.

Historical information about his life is limited, and many familiar stories about him come from later Christian tradition.

What is certain is that devotion to St. Blaise became widespread in both Eastern and Western Christianity.

He came to be especially invoked for illnesses of the throat.

Bishop of Sebaste

Christian tradition remembers Blaise as the bishop of Sebaste.

Ancient bishops were not simply administrators.

They preached.

Celebrated the sacraments.

Cared for the poor and sick.

Guided Christians through persecution.

And sometimes faced martyrdom themselves.

Blaise lived during a period when Christianity had not yet become secure within the Roman Empire.

Faith could still carry a serious cost.

Blaise in the Cave

According to tradition, persecution forced Blaise to leave the city and take refuge in a cave in the mountains.

There he lived a life of prayer.

Stories say wild animals gathered around him and that Blaise cared for creatures that were sick or injured.

Because of these traditions, he also became associated with the protection of animals.

Eventually, hunters searching the area discovered him.

He was arrested and brought before the authorities.

The Child with the Fish Bone

One of the most famous stories about Blaise is said to have happened while he was being taken to prison.

A desperate mother brought him her young son.

The child was choking on a fish bone.

Blaise prayed for him.

The boy survived.

This story became the foundation of the Church’s longstanding devotion to St. Blaise as a patron of people suffering from diseases of the throat.

The Blessing of Throats

On or near the feast of St. Blaise, many Catholic parishes offer the traditional Blessing of Throats.

Two candles are usually crossed and held near the person’s throat while the priest or deacon asks God, through the intercession of St. Blaise, to protect the person from diseases of the throat and other illnesses.

The candles traditionally connect the blessing with another story in which a woman brought Blaise candles while he was imprisoned.

The blessing is a sacramental.

It is not magic and does not guarantee that a person will never become sick.

It is a prayer asking for God’s protection and healing.

Blaise Before the Governor

According to later accounts, Blaise was brought before a Roman governor and ordered to renounce Christianity.

He refused.

The authorities attempted to force him to sacrifice to pagan gods.

Blaise remained faithful.

Like many early martyrs, his crime was ultimately refusing to place any god above Jesus Christ.

The Iron Combs

Christian art often depicts St. Blaise with an iron comb.

This comes from the traditional account of his torture.

He was said to have been torn with iron combs normally used for carding wool.

These instruments became one of his traditional symbols.

The precise details of his martyrdom come from later accounts and cannot all be verified historically.

But the Church has long remembered Blaise as a bishop who suffered and died for Christ.

His Martyrdom

Tradition holds that Blaise was eventually beheaded.

His martyrdom is usually placed in the early fourth century.

His reputation spread far beyond Armenia.

Devotion to him became particularly strong during the Middle Ages.

He became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints especially invoked during times of sickness and danger.

Why Catholics Ask St. Blaise for Help

Catholics do not believe St. Blaise has power separate from God.

They ask for his prayers.

Just as Christians ask friends on earth to pray for them, Catholics believe the saints in heaven continue to intercede for the Church.

The blessing of throats therefore directs our attention ultimately toward God.

Blaise intercedes.

God heals.

What St. Blaise Teaches Us

St. Blaise reminds us to bring both physical and spiritual needs to God.

Christianity does not treat the body as unimportant.

Jesus healed the sick.

The Church has always prayed for those suffering physically.

But Blaise’s story also points toward a deeper kind of healing.

The same throat we ask God to protect is the throat we use to speak.

To pray.

To encourage.

To tell the truth.

To praise God.

The blessing of St. Blaise can therefore remind us not only to ask God to protect our voices, but to use them well.

When Is the Feast of St. Blaise?

The Catholic Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Blaise on February 3.

He is remembered as a bishop and martyr and is especially invoked as patron of those suffering from illnesses of the throat.

Many Catholic parishes offer the traditional Blessing of Throats on his feast day.

Prayer Inspired by St. Blaise

Lord Jesus Christ,

through the intercession of St. Blaise, protect us from illness and strengthen those who are sick.

Bless doctors, nurses, caregivers, and all who care for those who suffer.

Protect our voices and teach us to use them for prayer, truth, encouragement, and praise.

Give us the courage of St. Blaise to remain faithful when following You becomes difficult.

St. Blaise, pray for us. Amen.