St. Martin of Tours--love that guy.
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| source: wikiimedia commons |
Love the story of Martin, still a catechumen, as a Roman soldier sharing his cloak with the beggar.
Love that his special day on the calendar coincides with Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day.
Love reading about the end of his saintly life as the saintly abbot willing to drag himself out of bed on an errand of mercy (to reconcile quarreling clergymen) when he knew it would be the death of him. (Office of Readings).
And love getting that surprise and momentary confusion of finding that this saint gets a full office of his own with all the trimmings (even custom made antiphons!) even though his day is only ranked as a memorial.
The quick explanation is that before the liturgical calendar was revised after Vatican II, St. Martin's day was a much-beloved feast of longstanding tradition throughout Europe. So, being a sentimental favorite, he still gets to keep a fancy office even though his day no longer rates as a feast on the universal calendar. St. Mary Magdalene is another one who is in this category. I can't recall any others off the top of my head. If any of you can, then let us know in the comments.
