The patron saint of Dubrovnik. On Sunday we went to the church dedicated to him in the old town and it was a very pleasant experience, even though we couldn’t understand everything. The rhythms of spoken Croat, however, are very similar to Polish, so we could follow all that was going on very easily. The priest was very open and friendly as was the congregation. The experience, however, reminded me of when I was in my first year at Saint Augustine’s Priory in 1965 ; this was just after the second Vatican Council, and many things had been modernised in the Roman Catholic Church. Or were supposed to have.

The nuns at St Augustines were reluctant to throw out babies with bathwater and liked to keep some of the old ceremonies and customs which were fast fading out of use.

The 2nd of February is Candlemas Day, when all the candles to be used during the year are blessed. The following day, February 3rd, is the feast of Saint Blaise, who happens to be the patron saint of sore throats.  That particular year the nuns had arranged for the priest to come and perform the ceremony of the blessing of the throat with two crossed candles placed against each child’s neck. We were approximately 20 boarders in the school and mass was at seven in the morning and tired and bleary we were invited to come up to the altar rail and present our throats for the blessing. It was a very strange and rather touching ceremony, which I have never forgotten; or at least I was reminded of it now as I have never heard of it being performed before or since. Have you?