An intelligent young man, he was said, by St Gregory of Tours, to have surpassed many of the scholars of his time. It was also said of him, by the Christian poet Fortunatus, to have been very holy and to have "earned the name of St. Martin of Tours". The two are not to be confused. St Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier, this St Martin was an Archbishop. Legend says he made a pilgrimage to Palestine. He later made his way to Galicia in Spain, probably with some returning Pilgrims. Here, a group called the Suevi ruled the area, and had been spreading the Arian Heresy. St Martin, by his sincere preaching, soon brought Galicia back to the Catholic Church. He began by converting King Theodomir, and subsequently converted other other Arians and Catholics who had lapsed. He built many monasteries, the most important of which was Dumium, which served as the home base for his missionary efforts. The Suevian Monarchs, out of their great respect for this Saint, made Dumium the Seat of a bishopric. St Martin became its first bishop. He was so closely tied to the royals that he became known as "the Bishop of the Royal Family". However, he never became lax in governing his monks. He was soon promoted to the See of Braga, thus becoming the Metropolitan of all of Galicia, a dignity that he held until his death. Besides his missionary work, he also did a great service to the church, by his writings. the most important of these are a collection of 84 canons, a "Formula vitae honestae"; a guide to the good life written at the request of King Miro, "De correctionae rusticorum" which was a description of the superstitious customs of the local peasants, a symposium of moral rules, and a selection of the sayings of the Egyptian hermits. St Martin died at his monastery in Dumium. His body was translated to Braga in 1606.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Belated St of the Day- St Martin of Braga- Mar 20
St Martin, Archbishop of Braga, Portugal. (Died AD 579)
An intelligent young man, he was said, by St Gregory of Tours, to have surpassed many of the scholars of his time. It was also said of him, by the Christian poet Fortunatus, to have been very holy and to have "earned the name of St. Martin of Tours". The two are not to be confused. St Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier, this St Martin was an Archbishop. Legend says he made a pilgrimage to Palestine. He later made his way to Galicia in Spain, probably with some returning Pilgrims. Here, a group called the Suevi ruled the area, and had been spreading the Arian Heresy. St Martin, by his sincere preaching, soon brought Galicia back to the Catholic Church. He began by converting King Theodomir, and subsequently converted other other Arians and Catholics who had lapsed. He built many monasteries, the most important of which was Dumium, which served as the home base for his missionary efforts. The Suevian Monarchs, out of their great respect for this Saint, made Dumium the Seat of a bishopric. St Martin became its first bishop. He was so closely tied to the royals that he became known as "the Bishop of the Royal Family". However, he never became lax in governing his monks. He was soon promoted to the See of Braga, thus becoming the Metropolitan of all of Galicia, a dignity that he held until his death. Besides his missionary work, he also did a great service to the church, by his writings. the most important of these are a collection of 84 canons, a "Formula vitae honestae"; a guide to the good life written at the request of King Miro, "De correctionae rusticorum" which was a description of the superstitious customs of the local peasants, a symposium of moral rules, and a selection of the sayings of the Egyptian hermits. St Martin died at his monastery in Dumium. His body was translated to Braga in 1606.
An intelligent young man, he was said, by St Gregory of Tours, to have surpassed many of the scholars of his time. It was also said of him, by the Christian poet Fortunatus, to have been very holy and to have "earned the name of St. Martin of Tours". The two are not to be confused. St Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier, this St Martin was an Archbishop. Legend says he made a pilgrimage to Palestine. He later made his way to Galicia in Spain, probably with some returning Pilgrims. Here, a group called the Suevi ruled the area, and had been spreading the Arian Heresy. St Martin, by his sincere preaching, soon brought Galicia back to the Catholic Church. He began by converting King Theodomir, and subsequently converted other other Arians and Catholics who had lapsed. He built many monasteries, the most important of which was Dumium, which served as the home base for his missionary efforts. The Suevian Monarchs, out of their great respect for this Saint, made Dumium the Seat of a bishopric. St Martin became its first bishop. He was so closely tied to the royals that he became known as "the Bishop of the Royal Family". However, he never became lax in governing his monks. He was soon promoted to the See of Braga, thus becoming the Metropolitan of all of Galicia, a dignity that he held until his death. Besides his missionary work, he also did a great service to the church, by his writings. the most important of these are a collection of 84 canons, a "Formula vitae honestae"; a guide to the good life written at the request of King Miro, "De correctionae rusticorum" which was a description of the superstitious customs of the local peasants, a symposium of moral rules, and a selection of the sayings of the Egyptian hermits. St Martin died at his monastery in Dumium. His body was translated to Braga in 1606.
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