Month in honor of the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Martin was born at Todi in Tuscany. At the beginning of his Popedom, in the year 649, he was careful to send an embassage with letters to Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople, to call upon him to return to the truth of the Catholic faith from the blasphemous heresy (of the Monothelites.) But Paul, being backed up by the heretic Emperor Constans, had become so rabid, that he sent away the messengers of the Apostolic See into diverse places in the islands. This crime moved the Pope to gather together at Rome a Synod of one-hundred and five Bishops, by whom Paul was condemned. Thereupon Constans sent Olympius into Italy as Exarch, straitly commanding him either to slay Pope Martin, or else to bring him into his Imperial presence. Olympius therefore came to Rome and bade a constable to kill the Pope as he was celebrating the Solemn Liturgy in the Basilica of St Mary-at-the-Manger [Saint Mary Major]. But when the constable went thither, he was struck with blindness. From that time forth many evils befell the Emperor Constans; but he repented not. He sent the Exarch Theodore Calliopas to Rome, with command to lay hands on the Pope. By him Martin was treacherously taken on the 17th day of June, 653, and (forthwith carried to the island of Naxos. On the 17th of September in 654 he was) brought to Constantinople, (where he was kept in prison) till he was sent to the Crimea on the 15th of May, 655. There his sufferings for the Catholic faith utterly broke him down, and he left this life for a better, upon the 12th day of November, in the same year of our Lord 655. He was famous for miracles. His body was afterwards brought back to Rome and buried in the Church dedicated under the names of St. Silvester and St. Martin of Tours. He ruled the Church for six years, one month, and twenty-six days. He held two ordinations in the month of December, wherein he made eleven Priests, five Deacons, and thirty-three Bishops for diverse places.