This was a secret to me until this weekend, when I attended Mass at the Carmelite Church in Dublin at Whitefriar's. An Irish Carmelite, Fr. John Sprat, known for his amazing preaching, was given a gift from the Pope after the priest had preached there. Pope Gregory XVI gave the phenomenal priest a small, lead-lined casket with some on the organs and a vial of blood from St. Valentine. The casket has an inscription on the top with the details of the contents and the presentation, as well as the testimony of the eleemosynary as to the authenticity of the relics. In 1836, in a huge procession on November 10th, the casket was taken into the Carmelite Church and the
Archbishop, Murray of Dublin, received the beautiful casket. Over the years, in wreckovations, and because the casket is so heavy, it was removed from a place of honor and put into the sacristy, where I saw it. I was allowed to touch the casket and pray over the holy relics.
I would ask those who have a love of the Carmelites and St. Valentine, to help the Carmelites restore a shrine worthy of this saint. Here is the accompanying note which came with the casket and it engraved on the top, from the Carmelite website:
St Valentine
We, Charles, by the divine mercy, Bishop of Sabina of the Holy Roman Church, cardinal Odescalchi arch priest of the sacred Liberian Basilica, Vicar General of our most Holy Father the Pope and Judge in ordinary of the Roman Curia and of its districts, etc., etc.
To all and everyone who shall inspect these our present letters, we certify and attest, that for the greater glory of the omnipotent God and veneration of his saints, we have freely given to the Very Reverend Father Spratt, Master of Sacred Theology of the Order of Calced Carmelites of the convent of that Order at Dublin, in Ireland, the blessed body of St Valentine, martyr, which we ourselves by the command of the most Holy Father Pope Gregory XVI on the 27th day of December 1835, have taken out of the cemetery of St Hippolytus in the Tiburtine Way, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood and have deposited them in a wooden case covered with painted paper, well closed, tied with a red silk ribbon and sealed with our seals and we have so delivered and consigned to him, and we have granted unto him power in the Lord, to the end that he may retain to himself, give to others, transmit beyond the city (Rome) and in any church, oratory or chapel, to expose and place the said blessed holy body for the public veneration of the faithful without, however, an Office and Mass, conformably to the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, promulgated on the 11th day of August 1691.
In testimony whereof, these letters, testimonial subscribed with our hand, and sealed with our seal, we have directed to be expedited by the undersigned keeper of sacred relics.
Rome, from our Palace, the 29th day of the month of January 1836.
C.Cardinal vicar
Regd. Tom 3. Page 291
Philip Ludovici Pro-Custos
