Nativity Family,

There will be a general blessing of throats and individual blessing of throats at the conclusion of each Mass this weekend (the weekend of Sunday, February 4, 2024).

Saint Blaise and Blessing of Throats
The Feast of Saint Blaise is Saturday, February 3, 2024. Blaise was a Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and was martyred for his faith in year 316. Legend says that he was a physician before becoming a Bishop. While in prison, he miraculously cured a young boy who was choking from a fish bone in his throat. Saint Blaise become one of the most popular saints during the Middle Ages, being invoked as a helper in time of sickness related to the throat. The tradition of blessing the throats of parishioners with two crossed candles has been popular for centuries. The ritual prayer is "Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may the Lord deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness."