St. Martin Our Patron Saint

St. Martin was a soldier who turned from war to follow Christ. He was born in Italy but fought in France and Hungary. He is said to have shared his cloak with a poor man and is often depicted on horseback, using his sword to cut the cloak in half.

After sharing his cloak, it is said that Martin had a dream in which Jesus was wearing the half of the cloak he had given away. In his dream, Jesus said, "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised: he has clad me." Martin decided that he was truly a soldier of the Lord and could not fight, so he left the army to become a priest. He was acclaimed Bishop of Tours in France and worked tirelessly to help others find the Lord. He founded the first monastery in western Europe in 372 AD where devoted Christians could find peace.