TERNI, Italy (RNS) — This Wednesday marked a peculiar challenge for practicing Catholics. Valentine’s Day, characterized by candlelit dinners and boxed chocolates, and Ash Wednesday, the start of Lenten privations, collide on Feb. 14 this year, for an odd mashup of romance and abstinence.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has made it clear there will be no dispensation from the requirement to fast and abstain from meat on lovers’ day. Many bishops recommended that faithful have their romantic dates a day earlier, which also happened to coincide with the excesses and celebrations of Mardi Gras.
That is what they decided to do in the city of Terni, where Valentine’s Day is more important than Christmas. It’s here, in the Umbria region not far from Rome, that the remains of St. Valentine, the third-century saint whose feast inspired the international day for love, is buried in the Basilica of St. Valentine.
The city is adorned with hearts and cherubs for the feast, and couples from all over the world gather to walk its streets and indulge in romance-themed celebrations. Pos …
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
That is what they decided to do in the city of Terni, where Valentine’s Day is more important than Christmas. It’s here, in the Umbria region not far from Rome, that the remains of St. Valentine, the third-century saint whose feast inspired the international day for love, is buried in the Basilica of St. Valentine.
The city is adorned with hearts and cherubs for the feast, and couples from all over the world gather to walk its streets and indulge in romance-themed celebrations. Pos …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]