The Candle Man Can…..

Do you remember San Biagio day? Biagio- (pronounce B-Ā-G-O) was an important Saint.. In case you don’t speak Italian the English version is Blaise- Saint Blaise- but we did not use the English because Saint Blasie sounds like a TV detective - Blaise Saint Private Eye on NBC… Anyway we all knew Saint Biagio was Italian so why use the ‘Medican name….Many of our friends were named Biagio in his honor, and a few towns in It-Ly were also known as San Biagio.. Of course had we but consulted the lives of the Saints we would have discovered that in reality he was from Armenia , but hey that sounds Italian.

So why is this 3rd century Armenia saint important to Italians and South Philly. San Biagio was a saint of great power, for he could get us out of school. Yes every February 3rd the good sisters would bring use to a special mass the morning of his feast day ..The mass in Honor of San Biagio… Yes no school for the morning, just a low impact aerobic work out.. up… down.. knell. stand… After the mass the true meaning of San Biagio day was made known- you see in addition to scholastic schedule adjustment, San Biagio was also the patron saint of ..the throat. Yes San Biagio was in reality a 3rd century Armenian Otolaryngologist.

To protect we youngsters the dear priest would perform the time honored ritual of the Blessing of the Throat.. Quoting from the Rubrics of Roman ritual… bless the throats of the faithful ( we do nor bless the throats of the unfaithful, even if they ask) with two candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross. … The priest places the candles around the throat .. using the formula: "Through the intercession of Saint Biagio, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Because the celebrant makes the sign of the cross with his right hand, it is best to apply the candles with both hands. Then the celebrant withdraws his right hand to make the sign of the cross, while continuing to hold the candles in place with his left hand. For the convenience of the celebrant the formula should be printed on a small card, attached to the candles… sounds tricky doesn’t it….priest had to be rather dexterous for this one…

Yes, after mass we would line up and knell along the altar rail , remember those , while the priest would produce two long beeswax candles tied together and put them at our neck in a grip that was somewhat reminiscent of Anekin Skywalker’s beheading of Count Dookoo in Star Wars III, the priest would then intone the sacred words protecting us from throat ailments … After a few years of trying to handle the candles and with one hand, while blessing with the other, a problem that sometimes resulted in dropping and breaking the candles, the church with acumen produced a new improved saint Biagio candle- two L shaped (yes L Shaped) candles fixed together in a scissor like object that could easily be held with one hand … Now this Candle Vise was a fearsome thing, and you did not exactly feel warm and cozy as the priest came at you with this instrument from some long ago inquisition.. But subject we did, for it was after all San Biagio day.

The candles were never lit. The reason for this I do not know but I feel it may have something to do with the wide use of Aqua Net Hairspray in South Philly during the 60’s . I would imagine this action saved a number of women from instant Immolation.

After the mass and the blessing by Father Anekin, we all went back to class to be told by the good Sisters that we were now immune from any illness this winter… Heaven forbid if you did get sick after the blessing... It was pure heresy… I knew kids sent to school ill by their parents in the days following the blessing, for you could not admit to the blessed sisters that the blessing and the abnormal candles had no effect.

Here is a tidbit about San Biagio that sister Margaret Mitchell never told us. He once saved the life of a child who was choking on a fish bone…I guess this was before the Heinlick maneuver.

St. Biagio day was a yearly ritual in South Philly. I have never seen a scientific study to plot the effects of the blessing. Did it work? I had a relative that reckoned the candles were actually spreading sickness. I also knew people that swore the oddly shaped candles and particular blessing kept them healthy through the cold wet South Philly winter.

I do not know if this ancient ritual is still performed in South Philly …Too old a catholic practice to keep these days.. besides the churches don’t have altar rails any longer- where you gonna knell???. Maybe now they bring in a Hindu Fakir to put the mark of Vishnu on your head and pray you don’t get a cold?? Or perhaps they pass out vitamin C in place of communion? I would however really like to know what happened to the L shaped candles – I could use them for a grand Saint Biagio Dinner party… But no fish please..