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St. Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia in the 4th century, was reputed to have miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died due to a fishbone lodged in his throat. Very little is known about his life. According to various accounts, he was a physician before becoming a bishop

From the eighth century, he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.

In the United States, the annual blessing of throats is a traditional sign of the struggle against illness in the life of the Christian.

The blessing is by touching the throat of each person with two candles blessed on Candlemas (the day before), which have been joined together in the form of a cross.

"Suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit. Christians feel and experience pain as do all other people; yet their faith helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. . . . Part of the plan laid out by God's providence is that we should fight strenuously against all sickness and carefully seek the blessings of good health, so that we may fulfill our role in human society and in the Church" (see Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum, nos. 1, 3).

"The blessing of the sick by ministers of the Church is a very ancient custom, rooted in imitation of Christ himself and his apostles" (see Rituale Romanum: De Benedictionibus, Chapter 2: "Blessing of the Sick," no. 1.).