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Views from the Choir Loft

The Legacy of Martin of Tours

Fr. David Friel · November 11, 2016

S OUR COUNTRY observes Veterans Day today, we, as a Church, celebrate the patron saint of soldiers, St. Martin of Tours. I have long felt a special connection to St. Martin.

As a child, I read a short book about Martin, and his story absolutely captivated me. Years later, I found myself praying to him (among other saints) during my training as a Navy chaplain.

The magnificent chapel of the college seminary in Philadelphia (pictured at right) is known as St. Martin’s Chapel. It was in this place that my life of prayer was formed and deepened. It was also in this chapel that I first sang in a choir and played the organ. It was ultimately in this chapel that I was ordained a deacon.

Whenever giving a tour of the seminary to a group of visitors, on entering the chapel, I would always point out the small, stained glass windows set inside the huge, wooden doors (pictured below). On the left door is a depiction of Martin as a soldier, and on the right door is an image of Martin as a bishop, representing the two major phases of his extraordinary life.

On reaching the sanctuary with the tour group, I would point out the paintings in the apse, which portray important scenes in Martin’s life. The left-most painting captures a remarkable story of his encounter with the Lord, and it seems like a story worth retelling today.

The story begins when Martin was a teenager, a catechumen, and a soldier in the Roman army. He came one day upon a beggar who was shivering from the cold. Moved with compassion for the fellow, he took off his cloak—part of his uniform—and cut it in two, giving half of it to the poor beggar.

I have often wondered why Martin did not give the beggar the whole cloak. That certainly would have been a nice thing to do and a great act of charity. But it also would have sent a very different message than what he actually did.

Had Martin given away his whole cloak, he would have sent the message that: “You’re needy, and I’m not. I can give you my cloak and go get another one for myself. I’m giving, and you’re taking.”

By tearing his cloak in half and sharing it, though, Martin sent a very different message. His message was: “We’re brothers. You’ll be a little bit cold, and so will I. Your problems are my problems. We’ll suffer together.” By doing what he did, Martin not only addressed the physical needs of the beggar, but, more importantly, established a real sense of fraternity with him.

The story about St. Martin goes on, because, some time later, he had a dream in which he had a vision of our Lord. In that dream, Jesus appeared to him wearing the half cloak he had given to the beggar. This was a very concrete symbol of Christ’s words, “Whatever you do to the least of My brethren, you do unto Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Even more than that, though, our Lord was sending the same message to Martin that Martin had sent to the beggar. Our Lord was saying, effectively: “We’re brothers. Your problems are My problems. We’ll suffer together.”

The message our Lord delivered to St. Martin of Tours is a message He shares, also, with us.

Martin’s cloak, thereafter, was treated as a most valuable relic, and pieces of it were frequently carried into battle. The relics were often cared for by priests, who came to be known as capellani. Eventually, all priests serving with the troops in battle came to be known by this name, from which the English word “chaplain” derives.

As we honor our veterans today, let us pray for the intercession of St. Martin of Tours upon all those in military service. In serving their country, may they serve, also, the Lord!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

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