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For Children Saints in Action Saint Martin of Tours (316-397) Martin's father was an army officer and so, when Martin was fifteen, he joined the army too. After his baptism, Martin traded his armor for a habit and became a monk in Gaul, which is now France. Because Martin was well known for his holiness, healing, and goodness, the people proclaimed him Bishop of Tours. His shrine in Tours is one of the most visited places in all of Europe. Here is a famous story about Martin. A GENEROUS GIFT Martin's father couldn't keep from bragging about his son. And why shouldn't he be proud. Although he was only 15, his son had been accepted into the Roman army's best corps, the Imperial Guard. He would be one of the emperor's personal guards. Imperial guards got the best of everything—the finest armor, the best weapons, and the warmest clothes. Besides being a soldier, Martin was also a catechumen. He believed in Jesus and the Church, but he had not yet been baptized. His father urged him to take his time, but in his heart Martin was already a follower of Christ. Riding back to the barracks one especially cold night, Martin saw a beggar standing near the city gate. The man was shivering from the cold. Soon the gate would be closed and locked, and the man would be left without shelter. Martin was anxious to get into the warm barracks himself, but stopped at the sight of the freezing man. Acting instinctively, Martin took off his heavy cloak, drew his sword and, with one quick stroke, sliced the cloak in half. "Here, take this," said Martin, handing one half to the beggar. "It is very warm. It will keep the wind out." That night Martin wrapped himself in the half cloak he had left and went to sleep. In a dream, Martin saw Jesus wrapped in the other half of the cloak—the half he had given to the beggar! The next day Martin hurried off to be baptized.
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