Fifth Grade
Worksheets
The Legend of St. Valentine
Each Valentine's Day many people hand out cards with kind words like "Be my Valentine" or "You're a great friend." Why do we do this? We can thank St. Valentine for this annual tradition.
Much of St. Valentine's life is a mystery. We know that he was a Christian priest. We also know that he lived in Rome in the third century. The rest of Valentine's story is a legend.
Valentine lived in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. Claudius II was not a kind ruler. He would throw people in jail if they did not worship Roman gods. He was especially cruel to Christians. Legend has it that Valentine liked to cheer up jailed Christians. He would send them heart-shaped cards.
