Our saint gave his life for the faith in the Church's early days, martyred in the third century under a Roman emperor. A priest, Valentine helped persectured Christians, and performed secret marriages for couples forbidden to wed under Roman law. In prison for his religion, Valentine converted his jailer and his jailer's daughter. On the eve of his beheading, St. Valentine signed a note to the girl, "Your Valentine," from which we have our popular saying on this holiday.