Grace and peace – from him who is and who was and who is to come.

The Feast of St. Blaise, a physician who later became a bishop and died for the faith in 316 AD, will be observed on Saturday, February 3.

Very little is known about his life. He is the patron of troubled throats. Why he hasn’t been adopted by cough drop makers the world over is anyone’s guess!

Known as “San Blas” en Español and “San Biaggio” in Italiano, most Catholics know him for the annual throat blessing, which stems from a legend that says while in prison, he healed a child who nearly died because of a fishbone caught in the throat. Because of this and other cures, people have prayed to Saint Blaise as a helper in times of sickness and for protection from afflictions of the throat. From the eighth century, he has been invoked on behalf of the sick.

Details regarding the miraculous healing of the boy vary.

One account relates that the miracle occurred during the journey to take Blaise to prison when he placed his hand on the boy’s head and prayed; another that the miracle happened while Blaise was in prison when he picked up two candles provided to him and formed a cross around the boy’s throat. When an old woman’s pig had been miraculously rescued from a wolf by Saint Blaise, she would visit him in prison, bringing him food and candles to bring him light in his dark cell.

The blessing is given by touching the throat of each person with two candles blessed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2 and which have been joined together in the form of a cross by a red ribbon, the color of martyrdom.

The prayer of blessing is: Through the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop, and Martyr, may you be delivered from all illnesses of the throat and any other ailments. In the name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The priest makes the sign of the cross over the recipient as the blessing is said.

The Book of Blessings notes that the traditional blessing of throats does not need to be administered directly on the throat and can be offered at a distance. “If, for pastoral reasons, each individual cannot be blessed in the manner described, a priest may give the blessing to all assembled by extending hands, without the crossed candles, over the people while saying the prayer of blessing.”

In Germany and in other places, the blessing of throats is given with lighted candles. In certain Hispanic countries (e.g., Spain and Mexico), a ribbon is given to be worn around the neck for the nine days following the blessing.

While the blessing may seem to be focused only on the throat, it has also been used to invoke God’s power to cure any illness. As a result, the blessing takes on a new meaning in the age of COVID-19 and its variants, as the world continues to struggle against the virus. It reminds us of our reliance on God and the reality that he has permitted this pestilence in his divine plan. We may not understand it, but we can turn to him for guidance and consolation.

The traditional and popular blessing of throats will be offered at your parish churches.