The Last 'I Do'

Rome, A.D. 269: Emperor Claudius II has outlawed marriage, and anyone who performs a wedding will be put to death. The priest Valentine refuses to obey - he breaks his friend Titus out of prison, marries him to Paulina as soldiers pound at the door, and takes their place under arrest. Awaiting execution, Valentine befriends Julia, the jailer's blind daughter, and when he prays for her, her sight returns. Even then, Claudius offers mercy only if Valentine will renounce his faith and stop marrying couples... and Valentine refuses both. Offered one last escape, he stays so the jailer won't pay for it with his own life, sending Julia a farewell note signed "Love from your Valentine." He dies on February 14, but Titus carries on the weddings, marriage returns to Rome, and the church sets aside that day in his memory.

Found on Eugene Returns! Album 44 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0556 And That's the Truth When Tamika vows to always tell the truth, she learns the hard way that honesty without kindness can hurt as much as a lie - while Jack discovers that avoiding hard truths carries its own cost.

0557 A Lamb's Tale A Christmas donation drive in Odyssey sets three intertwined stories of giving in motion, as a girl parts with her beloved stuffed lamb, a boy uncovers his uncle's hidden past, and a wounded soldier returns from war carrying a secret.

0558 A Glass Darkly Falsely blamed for a food fight, a young musician must choose between clearing his name and trusting God when detention threatens the audition of a lifetime.

0559 The Coolest Dog Marvin's dream of rock stardom with his two-person band hits a snag when his ego proves louder than his drums.

0560 The Present Long Ago When a classmate demands the school lab key and won't say why, an anxious boy cycles through imagined advisers and wild theories before finding a wiser way to face him.

0561 Lost By a Nose Determined to expose her town's beauty-pageant obsession, a skeptical young journalist goes undercover as a contestant - and gets far more invested than she planned.

0562 The Last 'I Do' When a Roman emperor outlaws marriage to build a more loyal army, a defiant priest named Valentine risks everything to keep performing forbidden weddings.

0563 Tuesdays with Wooton A lonely boy's mailbox scheme unravels when the mailman he's been fooling decides friendship is worth more than an easy confession.

0564 A Most Intriguing Question A government agent's arrival, a secretive all-night invention, and a mysteriously running Imagination Station convince Whit's friends he's hiding something dangerous - and they're determined to find out what.

0565 A Most Surprising Answer When Eugene returns to Odyssey a stranger to his own past, his friends must find out whether love can reach memories that science locked away.

0566 A Most Extraordinary Conclusion With every experiment exhausted and his friends' borrowed memories failing to feel like his own, Eugene makes one last desperate attempt to reclaim the life he's forgotten.

0567 Two Friends and a Truck When Eugene borrows Bernard's beloved old pickup for his big move, a minor mishap sets off a chain of accidents, cover-ups, and comic misunderstandings that puts their friendship to the test.

0568 The Power of One A Kids' Radio broadcast reimagines the Bible's most famous underdogs - from a shepherd facing a giant to a secret-agent apostle - to discover where real strength comes from.

Featured characters

Connie Kendall Katie Leigh

Minor characters & crew 9 more roles

9 supporting roles

Marcus (c) Corey Burton Felix (b) Actor Unknown Julia Tammy Coffin Paulina Katie Leigh Persus Bob Smithouser Titus (a) Corey Burton Mary (e) Actor Unknown Emperor Claudius Pete Reneday Saint Valentine Pat Fraley

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Leilani Wells Writer Bob Hoose Director · Producer Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Marshal Younger Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

On Kids' Radio, Connie responds to a listener who wonders whether Valentine's Day means anything beyond signing silly cards. She carries her audience back to Rome in A.D. 269, when Emperor Claudius II believes family attachments are weakening his army. Hoping to gain more devoted soldiers, Claudius outlaws marriage and declares that anyone performing a wedding ceremony will be put to death.

The priest Valentine sees marriage as God's creation and the foundation of strong families. He refuses to let the emperor's decree destroy it. His friend Titus is more cautious, knowing resistance may cost them their lives, but he soon preaches publicly against Claudius and is imprisoned.

Valentine and Paulina secretly enter the prison through loose stones in a wall and free Titus. Once outside, Titus tells Paulina that thoughts of her sustained him when he expected to die, and he asks her to marry him. Paulina accepts, and Valentine hurries them toward his home so he can perform the forbidden ceremony.

Soldiers discover the wedding before it is complete. Valentine finishes the vows while the couple flees through streets and alleys, then hides Titus and Paulina in a cart. He stays behind to draw the soldiers away and is arrested in their place.

In prison, Valentine befriends Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer, Felix. Her father calls her useless, and she has begun to believe him. Valentine recognizes her faithful service, kindness, and beauty. He speaks to her about flowers and the God who created them, remaining hopeful even while he waits for execution.

Julia brings Valentine wildflowers and lilies and asks him to describe them. He compares their many colors to the notes of a beautiful song and prays that she will one day see them herself. Julia doubts that prayer can help after sacrifices to Roman gods have changed nothing, but her sight suddenly begins to return. First she sees light and blurred shapes, and soon she can see clearly again.

Felix thanks Valentine and acknowledges the God he serves, but Claudius refuses to treat Julia's healing as a reason for mercy. With crowds calling for Valentine's release, the emperor offers a compromise: Valentine may live under house arrest if he stops performing marriages and renounces his faith.

Valentine rejects both conditions. He argues that families strengthen soldiers by giving them homes and loved ones to protect, and he credits Julia's healing to the one true God rather than Rome's idols. Enraged, Claudius orders him stoned and beheaded on February 14.

Felix, Titus, and Paulina arrange another escape, but Valentine refuses to go. Claudius has warned that another escaped prisoner will cost Felix his life, and Valentine will not leave Julia without her father. He accepts the death sentence rather than saving himself at another man's expense.

Unable to see Julia again, Valentine asks Felix for paper. He writes that her kindness and loyalty have strengthened him, encourages her to grow in her love for Jesus, and promises that their separation is only temporary. He closes the farewell with the words, “Love from your Valentine.”

After Valentine's execution, Titus continues performing Christian marriages. Claudius dies of plague during another campaign a year later, marriage is restored in the empire, and the church later honors February 14 in Valentine's memory. Connie concludes that the day recalls a man who defended love, marriage, and the God who created both.