St. Blaise

In the early Fourth Century a physician named Blaise became the Bishop of Sebastea in Armenia, which is now modern day Silvas, Turkey. Not much is known of the life of St. Blaise. “The Acts of St. Blaise” give us a biographical sketch and attribute many healings and miracles to him, both during his life, and through his intercession after his death. But these “Acts” are of medieval origin and are many hundreds of years removed from the historical person.

The reputation of St. Blaise is that many wounded animals would come from the woods of their own volition to the place where Blaise lived. He would tend to their wounds and nurse them back to health.

In the “Acts of St. Blaise” we read of a woman who brought her son to him because he had a fishbone stuck in his throat and was choking. Blaise was moved to pray intensely to God for the child’s well being, and the child was cured of the choking. Hence, the modern Christian tradition of praying to St. Blaise for healing of the throat and all other ailments.