Marking the culmination of National Marriage Week, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester this week celebrated St. Valentine’s Day. 

 The diocese, which according to its social media account serves 20 counties that comprise southern Minnesota, marked the occasion with a post on its Facebook page. 

“Today we celebrate the feast of St. Valentine of Rome,” the diocese said in the post. “St. Valentine is the patron saint of engaged couples, happy marriages, and love. St. Valentine, pray for us!”

National Marriage Week was recognized from Feb. 7-14 this year, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), with Valentine’s Day falling at its conclusion. The USCCB also noted on its website that World Marriage Day, Feb. 13, was marked during the same week, celebrating the joy and love tied to marriage and family with a theme of “Called to the Joy of Love.” 

Historians have long debated the actual identify of St. Valentine, according to History.com, which noted there are about a dozen St. Valentines and one Pope Valentine. However, according to the website, Feb. 14 is noted by the Catholic church the feast day of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died around the year of 270, and is the patron saint of couples and marriages. The St. Valentine that most historians agree is being honored, according to the website, served as a temple priest who would promote marriage among Christian couples. For this, he was beheaded by Roman emperor Claudius II.

St. Valentine’s Day was first celebrated as a festival for lovers in the 14th century, according to Britannica. In the 20thcentury, according to History.com, the Catholic Church discontinued the practice of carrying out a liturgical veneration of St. Valentine, which ended in 1969. The website noted that St. Valentine’s name today is still included in the list of saints officially recognized by the church.