Saint Martin of Tours is often called the “soldier saint”, a holy man who left his post as a soldier of the Roman Army in exchange for being a “soldier of Christ” and later a monastic monk and bishop. Yet he did not make a career of being a soldier. Saint Martin of Tours served in the army only for a rather short period in his youth. We usually associate obedience with a soldier, however, and St. Martin’s career was marked by perfect obedience to the will of God. Therefore he might well be called God’s Soldier.

As St. Martin of Tours is the Patron Saint of Military chaplains, in a special way we commend to him today our pastor, Fr. Keith Wolfe during his deployment as a chaplain in the United States Navy. May the Lord bless him in his ministry and keep him safe while he is away.

To learn more about St. Martin of Tours, visit: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-martin-of-tours

Prayer to St. Martin of Tours

Blessed Saint Martín of Tours,
full of the Spirit of the Lord
always having inexhaustible charity for the needy.

You, who full of love and generosity
when you saw the beggar that was freezing from cold,
without knowing that in truth he was Christ,
did not doubt to give him half of your cape,
and did not give it completely to him
since the other half belonged to the Roman army;
you, who did not seek recognition
but only to favor your neighbor,
found glory before the Lord.
And when the Savior appeared to you
dressed with the half-cape
so as to express appreciation for your gesture
and He told you “today you covered me with your mantle”,
you decided to no longer serve the army
and to dedicate your life to God
and to the salvation of souls,
being from then on a propagator of the faith
and a holy man totally dedicated
to whomever was in need.

Glorious Saint Martin,
you who worked miracles and prodigies,
who with joy, amiability and
the most exquisite goodness
won over the hearts of all
and did not cease to ever work for their wellbeing:
give me your hand and help me to come out
of all lack and scarcity
which today afflicts me and weighs me down.

Glorious Saint Martin, my blessed patron,
I humbly ask you with great faith
that you attain from God,
the fount of all Mercies
that my ways on this earth,
my work and my toils
be cleansed and opened with clarity.
In the name of Omnipotent God,
Saint Martin of Tours,
remove all that harms me
and give me work and prosperity.
O blessed relief, give me your saintly protection,
assist me, I beg you, in these difficult times:

(mention your request here)

Concluding Prayer

You, noble Saint Martin, who have miraculous power
take my supplications with haste to the Heavens,
ask for my home all that is good;
may sorrows, ruins and miseries leave,
and may the Lord deign I merit
blessed fortune in my work (business),
and with it, abundance and prosperity,
so I may give freely to all in need.

Saint Martin, blessed Bishop of Tours,
may your virtues and charity
accompany me always.
I will not cease to pray to you
and to thank Almighty God
for all the favors granted;
and I promise to be charitable
and giving with all my brothers and sisters in need.

Saint Martin please intercede for me;
free and protect all my loved ones and I
from all that is evil.

Amen.

-prayer from https://christianapostles.com/st-martin-of-tours/