An unusual event has been organized by the archdiocese of Vienna for St. Valentine’s Day: over 50,000 “love letters to God” will be delivered by over 150 messengers of St. Valentine in the Austrian capital, including underground stations and hospitals, beginning at six in the morning. “On the day of love”, declared the director of the pastoral office of the archdiocese, Michael Scharf, who has promoted the event, “our intention is to bring people into contact with God’s love”. “In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI said clearly that with human love it is possible also to speak of the love of God, he added. “St Valentine’s Day is a wonderful occasion to do so. That’s why the love letters to God should be considered an invitation to begin speaking with God once again”. Various Viennese churches, including the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, have been chosen as “places for meeting God”. Between 4 and 7 pm it will possible in these churches to speak with, obtain blessings from and write to God, participate in eucharistic adoration or simply remain in silence. At eight o’clock in the evening, a particular rite to bless couples in love will be celebrated in the Cathedral.
