St. Martin, the Kind Soldier
St. Martin was a Roman soldier with a big, kind heart. One cold day, he cut his warm cloak in half to share it with a poor man. Later he became a bishop!
St. Martin
The Kind Soldier
Sharing Is Caring!
Meet St. Martin!
St. Martin was a Roman soldier with a big, kind heart. One cold day, he cut his warm cloak in half to share it with a poor man. Later he became a bishop!
He is also called St. Martin of Tours
Follow St. Martin!
Let's follow Martin on his kind and brave adventure.
Story 1
A Boy Who Loved Jesus
Pavia, Italy, about 326
Long ago, a boy named Martin lived in Italy. His father was a soldier in the Roman army. When Martin was ten, he ran off to a little church to learn all about Jesus!
Martin listened to stories about Jesus, who was kind to everyone. He wanted to follow Jesus with all his heart.
Let us pray
Jesus, I want to follow You with all my heart, too.
Story 2
Martin the Soldier
Gaul, in the land now called France, about 331
When Martin was fifteen, he had to become a soldier, just like his father. He got a shiny helmet, a sword, a big red cloak and a white horse.
Martin rode with the other soldiers across the land. But Martin was a different kind of soldier. He was gentle, and he was always kind.
Martin shared his food with anyone who was hungry. He even helped his servant clean his boots! Martin treated everyone like a brother.
Let us pray
Dear God, help me to be kind to everyone, like a brother or sister.
Story 3
Half a Cloak
Amiens, France, a cold winter day
One freezing winter day, Martin rode up to the gate of the city of Amiens. There sat a poor man with no coat, shivering in the snow. People hurried past him.
Martin had no money with him. So he took off his warm red cloak, cut it in half with his sword, and gave one half to the poor man!
The man wrapped himself up, warm and happy. Some people laughed at Martin's short little cloak, but Martin didn't mind one bit.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to share with people who are cold or poor.
Story 4
Jesus in a Red Cloak
Amiens, France, that night
That night, Martin fell fast asleep in his tent. And he had a wonderful dream.
Martin saw Jesus, wearing the half cloak he had given away! Jesus said to the angels, “Martin covered Me with this cloak.”
Martin understood: when we help someone in need, we are helping Jesus! Soon after, Martin was baptized.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to see You in everyone I meet.
Story 5
A Soldier of Peace
Poitiers, France, about 356
Martin wanted to serve only God. So he put down his sword and helmet and became a soldier of peace, with prayer instead of a sword. He went to his wise friend, Bishop Hilary.
Martin lived in a little hut where he prayed and helped people. Soon many others came to live and pray with him.
Let us pray
Dear God, make me a helper of peace.
Story 6
The Honking Geese
Tours, France, 371
The people of the city of Tours wanted Martin to be their bishop! But Martin was humble. He didn't think he was important enough.
So Martin hid in a barn full of geese. But the geese honked and honked! HONK! HONK! Everyone came running, and they found him!
So Martin became the bishop of Tours! He lived simply in a little cell and took care of everyone, especially the poor and the sick.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to be humble and to help others.
Story 7
Lanterns for Martin
Tours, France, and all around the world
Bishop Martin helped people for many, many years. When he was very old, God called him home to Heaven. But people never forgot the kind soldier who shared his cloak.
Today, on St. Martin's Day, children in many countries make paper lanterns. They walk through the streets at night, singing happy songs!
They share treats, just like Martin shared his cloak. Little lights and big, kind hearts!
Let us pray
St. Martin, help me to share and to shine with God's love!
A Prayer to St. Martin
Let's pray it together!
St. Martin, you shared your cloak with a poor man and found Jesus there. Help me to notice people who are cold, hungry or lonely, and to share what I have with a happy heart. Help me to be a brave helper of peace. Amen.
A little prayer for little ones
Martin, Martin, kind and brave, half your cloak you gladly gave. Help me share and help me see Jesus in each one I meet! Amen.
Can You Find Them?
7 geese
3 lanterns
1 helmet
1 cloak
1 sword
1 horse
Be Like St. Martin!
Color in a lantern each time you do it!
I can share my coat or toys.
I can help someone who is cold or sad.
I can be kind to everyone.
I can be a peacemaker.
I can let my light shine for Jesus!
St. Martin's Special Day
November 11
Every year on November 11, the Church celebrates St. Martin, the kind soldier. Here are some fun ways to celebrate!
Make a paper lantern
Share a coat or blanket
Bake a sweet bun
Sing a lantern song
Color St. Martin!
Share and shine!
You can be kind like Martin!
St. Martin shared half of all he had, and he found Jesus in a poor man. When you share and help others, you are a lot like him. St. Martin is cheering you on!
Dear Jesus, thank You for St. Martin. Help me to share and to see You in everyone. Amen.
For Grown-Ups
Where these stories come from: the Life of St. Martin written by his friend Sulpicius Severus, and centuries of loving tradition, retold here simply and gently for young children.
A Boy Who Loved Jesus. Martin was born around 316 in Savaria, Pannonia (today's Szombathely, Hungary), and grew up in Pavia, Italy. His father was a Roman officer. His biographer and friend Sulpicius Severus tells us that at ten he went to church against his parents' wishes and asked to become a catechumen.
Martin the Soldier. At fifteen he was enrolled in the imperial cavalry, as sons of veterans were required to be. Sulpicius says he had a single servant, whom he treated as an equal, often serving him and even cleaning his boots.
Half a Cloak. In a hard winter at the gate of Amiens, he met a poor man with no clothing. Having nothing else, he cut his military cloak in two with his sword and gave half to the man; some bystanders laughed.
Jesus in a Red Cloak. That night Christ appeared to him wearing the half cloak and said to the angels, “Martin, still a catechumen, has clothed me with this garment” (compare Matthew 25:40). Martin was baptized soon after, aged about eighteen. His cloak (cappa) was later kept as a relic, and its shrine gave us the words “chapel” and “chaplain.”
A Soldier of Peace. Leaving the army, he became a disciple of St. Hilary of Poitiers and around 361 founded a community of monks at Ligugé, one of the first monasteries in Gaul.
The Honking Geese. In 371 the people of Tours wanted him as bishop. A popular legend says he hid in a barn and was betrayed by cackling geese, which is why roast goose is eaten on his feast in some countries. As bishop he lived simply at Marmoutier, outside the city, and was known for his care of the poor.
Lanterns for Martin. Martin died on November 8, 397, and was buried at Tours on November 11. St. Martin's Day lantern processions (Laternelaufen, Sint-Maarten), often led by a rider in a red cloak, are beloved in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and beyond. He is patron of soldiers, of the poor and of France.
St. Martin, pray for us!
The end
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