The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

KIRKSVILLE, MO -- Roses, balloons, and chocolates…on this special day February 14, these are the items we give to the special people in our lives on Valentine’s Day. But is there more to Valentine’s than what we know. Valentine’s Day is commonly known to the church as Saint Valentine’s Day to remember those who believed in the power of love many centuries ago, although many believe these stories came from legends.

"The Saint Valentine is a combination of two St. Valentines that the church honored early on. What's known about them is that they were martyred for their faith and died for their love for Christ and His Church,” Said Father Chris Cordes of Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Kirksville.

According to Father Cordes, the first one was a Roman priest who in A.D. 269 who performed marriage ceremonies when Christian marriage wasn’t legal. Helping Christians back then was considered a crime.

"In times of persecution in the church before the early 4th Century when Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, there were times of severe persecution so all kinds of Christian practices were really prohibited," Cordes said.

Then a second Saint Valentine, a bishop from Terni in A.D. 197 was martyred all because he sent out letters expressing his love.

"The legend was he wrote letters, probably secret letters that needed to be passed secretly to his community to express the love and care of his Christian people that he had pastoral leadership of."

Father Cordes then said the Saints were then established to be remembered and celebrated on February 14 by the Catholic Church and their love stories died down for centuries but were brought back to life during the Medieval times when authors and poets made a connection between the date of St. Valentine’s Day and the nature of birds and love.

"They connected in their writing that the idea of St. Valentine's Day happens around a time when birds are mating and humans are expressing and sharing love through letters, notes, or whatever to the people of their affections,” Cordes said. “So that's when the romantic nature of Valentine's Day kind of grew up."

Despite all the stories and legends of Valentine's Day past, Father Chris Cordes wants to remind everyone the true special meaning of this special day.

"Those are all ways of expressing our love, appreciation, and affection to the people in our lives that we give and receive love to and from."

With that always remember the true meaning of why you love the special people in your life so much and always remind them of that love all the other 364 days of the year.

Happy Valentine’s Day Heartland!