Feast Day: St. Blaise

Note the wool-carding comb in his right hand!

... invoked for sore throats/throat problems (and the traditional blessing-of-throats on his feast day) because of a story that he dislodged a fishbone from a choking boy's throat.  When I was little, invariably I would have a sore throat on St. Blaise's feast day (guess I wanted to prove his intercessions would heal my throat!). 

St. Blaise is also the patron of wool workers/combers. 

Why, you ask? 

Well it seems that during the reign of Emperor Licinius, there was a cruel and violent persecution of all Christians ... Bishop Blaise (in Sebaste, Armenia) was arrested, thrown in jail and after being sentenced to die, was tortured by being "combed" by metal wool combs.  After this particularly gruesome torture, St. Blaise was beheaded.

So if you go to get your throats blessed today, remember to wear wool in the good saint's honor!

St. Blaise, you kept the faith even under horrible tortures, even unto death ... may I be as steadfast in always defending my faith. 

St. Blaise, patron of throat disorders and wool carders, pray for us!