Blessing of throats will take place at all weekend Masses in honor of the feast of St. Blaise on February 3rd. Most of what we know about St. Blaise is attributed to legend but it is believed that he was a bishop of Armenia in the 4th century. One tradition claims he lived as a hermit in a cave where he was discovered one day by a group of hunters seeking wild animals. Blaise was praying in the cave while surrounded by wolves, lions, and bears which were patiently waiting. The men hauled Blaise off to prison and, on the way, encountered a woman whose young son was choking on a fish bone. Blaise healed him, which is the source of his patronage for throat ailments.
