Madam, - Shane Hegarty (News Features, January 10th) repeats the myth that St Valentine is no longer considered a saint by the Catholic Church.
What actually happened in 1969 was that the Church revised the liturgical calendar due to the proliferation of saints over the centuries.
One of the criteria was that any saints whose feasts were celebrated by the universal church would have universal significance. Another was to emphasise saints who had been more recently canonised. So, while the feast day of St Valentine is no longer celebrated on February 14th, this does not mean that he is no longer considered a saint. - Yours, etc,
LEO TALBOT, Moy Glas Way, Lucan, Co Dublin.