Today, November 11, is the memorial of Saint Martin of Tours.
Martin was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary. He had pagan parents but, as a teenager, discovered Christianity. He was baptized into the Church at age 18.
Since his father was an officer, Martin was obliged to join the military. Once, while on horseback in Amiens in Gaul (modern France), he met a beggar. He had nothing else to give, so Martin cut his officer‘s cloak in half, and gave it to the beggar. Later, in a vision, Martin saw Jesus wearing the cloak.
Martin was constantly persecuted for his Christian beliefs, but he stood strong in his faith. He often connected with pagans to tell them about our Lord. Some of them actually converted to Christianity, including his own mother. Martin destroyed pagan temples and built churches on the sites of where the temples stood.
After the Bishop of Tours died, Martin reluctantly became the next bishop in 372 because he was the most popular choice of the people. He founded a monastery called Marmoutier to live life as a monastic, focusing on prayer and helping the needy. He died there in 397.