St Blaise

[whizkid43]

This may be silly but I’ve got to ask anyway.

Since returning to the RCC I keep getting recollections of RC stuff I used to do as a kid. One example is St Blaise.

I recall that once a year we used to go to the Church (kinda like Ash Wednesday) and the priest would place 2 crossed candles over our throats and pray to St Blaise. Does anyone remember what this was was? Is this still widely practiced?

It’s been a while. Thanks in advance!

WK43

 

[allhers]

This may be silly but I’ve got to ask anyway.

Since returning to the RCC I keep getting recollections of RC stuff I used to do as a kid. One example is St Blaise.

I recall that once a year we used to go to the Church (kinda like Ash Wednesday) and the priest would place 2 crossed candles over our throats and pray to St Blaise. Does anyone remember what this was was? Is this still widely practiced?

It’s been a while. Thanks in advance!

WK43

Yes, we still do that, it was on Feb 3rd, his feast day.

 

[LilyM]

Some do it on February 2nd, Candlemas (otherwise known as the feast of the Purification of Mary (in the Temple) ), since that’s when candles are blessed so they have 'em on hand already.

I haven’t seen it done for a while, but I’m guessing that that’s because I haven’t been to Mass either on Candlemas or the feast of St Blaise for a while.

 

[KAL]

I had my throat blessed this year and then got the flu and had a sore throat for about three weeks.

OK St. Blaise, where were you when I needed you.

 

[brycelaliberte]

Got my throat blessed, but not with the candles and all.

I immediately got a massive paper cut on my pointer finger afterwards. But my throat was good.

 

[Karl_M]

The priest incorporated it into our final blessing at Mass that Saturday (which I think was Feb. 2).

He said that the Church said he could do that. He did the “standard” blessing, then said a blessing “through the intercession of St. Blaise…” and I don’t remember what else he said.

 

[whizkid43]

Thanks for the responses folks, that explains a lot. I was hovering around teh Church for quite some time before I actually worked up the courage to step back into the door. It was right around the begining of Feb when I began going to back to mass. So, if my parish did do something I missed it.

Thanks!!!

 

[sneakers]

They still do the blessing of throats at my parish every year on the Feast of St. Blaise - or on the Sunday closest to February 3rd.

Some facts and trivia:

My birthday is Feb. 3rd. I used to get picked on about being a “groundhog” because Feb. 2nd is Groundhog Day. Around here, February 2nd is Groundhog day in a big way! (I live near the home of Punxsutawney Phil! )

I don’t know if they do it anymore, but St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. used to have the “St Blaise Blaze” every February 3rd. They’d save and then burn their dried out Christmas trees in a huge bonfire!