We are very proud to have St Martin as our Patron Saint. We seek to follow all he stood for in his life. St Martin was born about 316 in Pannonia (now part of Hungary). He was a soldier in the Roman army, but, more importantly, he was a Christian. Those two roles came into conflict.
Under the influence of the Bishop of Poitiers, Martin founded a monastery in 360 – the first such foundation in Gaul. The monastery was the centre for missionary work in the local countryside. In 372 Martin was elected Bishop of Tours by popular acclaim and he continued his monastic lifestyle as a bishop. He died on 11 November 397.
The most famous story associated with St Martin dates from his days as a soldier. Martin came across a beggar who was suffering greatly. Overcome by concern for the poor man, Martin cut his cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. Martin was unable to give all his cloak to the beggar, as only half of it belonged to him – the other half was the emperor’s property. That night Martin dreamt that the beggar was in fact Jesus.
Today we seek to continue St Martin’s concern for the poor and marginalized by supporting, in particular, the work of the Bedford Foodbank and visiting many of the Care Homes within our Parish