Valentine's Day is a day for love and the Catholic Church. Our Kat De Maria explains the real and religious origins of the now-commercial holiday.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.--For all those who say Valentine's Day is a "Hallmark holiday," try telling that to St. Valentine.

According to Fr. Elmer, chancellor for the Diocese of Syracuse, Valentine was a third century priest who was martyred by the Romans for helping persecuted Christians. That puts Valentine in the company of lots of saints who don't have flowers, candy, balloons and more dedicated to their feast day. But Fr. Elmer says Valentine also married Christian couples and wrote the first actual valentine to a woman whom he cured of blindness.

"Before he died, he wrote to her a letter and he signed it, Your Valentine," Elmer said.

As St. Valentine became more popular commercially, his status was actually lowered in the Church. St. Valentine is no longer the primary saint celebrate at Masses on February 14th. In the late '60s, that designation was given over to two other saints.

"Sts. Cyril and Methodius. They were two brothers, two 9th Century brothers, one was a bishop, I believe another is a monk," Elmer said.

A missionary to the Slavic people, Cyril is responsible for the Cyrillic, or Russian, alphabet. But he and his brother don't get any special gifts or sweets. Another saint who's spawned his own secular celebration, of course, is St. Patrick. Eat your heart out St. Gertrude of Nivelles, who, among others, shares his feast day of March 17th. Maybe being the patron saint of cats doesn't translate well into a commercial holiday. But Fr. Elmer says some others might have more widespread appeal, like St. Francis.

"You see a certain devotion to him or at least recognition of him among non-Catholics
because of his affiliation...with nature," Elmer said.

There could be a St. Francis Day, perhaps at the zoo, or a St. Marianne Cope Day, in honor of the soon-to-be saint, from New York. As for Valentine, Father Elmer says no matter how he went from martyr to M&Ms, his message of of love is eternal.

"We hope people can certainly care about each other this day and rededicate themselves to their own particular relationships," Elmer said.