A day to thank those who served — and, for Catholic families, a day with a soldier-saint at its very heart.

Every November 11, our country pauses to say thank you. Veterans Day honors the men and women who have served in the armed forces — the living and the retired, the famous and the quiet, all who answered the call to serve.

For Catholic families, the day carries an extra grace: November 11 is also the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who became one of the Church’s most beloved saints. Service and holiness, it turns out, have walked together for a very long time.

It is a beautiful day to teach children gratitude — and to pray. And no saint belongs to this day more than Saint Michael the Archangel — God’s great warrior, the defender of heaven, and the patron of soldiers. Our hand-painted Saint Michael the Archangel figure is a fitting way to honor those who serve and to pray for their protection.

What Is Veterans Day?

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, marking the moment the fighting of the First World War ended — the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in 1918. The guns fell silent, and the world breathed again.

In 1954, the United States renamed the day Veterans Day to honor all who have served in the military. (It is different from Memorial Day, which remembers those who died; Veterans Day thanks everyone who served, especially those still with us.)

A Day of Thanks and Prayer

To serve is to put others before yourself — to accept hardship, time away from home, and real danger for the sake of people you may never meet. That is a kind of love the Gospel knows well.

So Veterans Day is a day for two things: gratitude and prayer. We thank those who served, and we lift them to God — asking his protection for those still serving, and his peace for those who carry the weight of what they have seen.

The Soldier-Saints

The Church has always honored holy men and women who served in the military. Saint Martin of Tours, whose feast is today, was a soldier who famously cut his cloak in half to clothe a freezing beggar — and later gave his whole life to Christ.

Saint Michael the Archangel is the great patron of soldiers, police, and all who defend others; his prayer is said in barracks and squad cars the world over. Saint Joan of Arc and Saint George round out a company of saints who show that courage and faith belong together.

Teaching Children Gratitude

Veterans Day is a wonderful chance to help children see that freedom is a gift many people have sacrificed to protect — and that the right response to a gift is thank you.

It is also a chance to teach them to pray for others: for the soldier far from home, for the veteran who is struggling, for peace in the world. Gratitude and prayer are lessons that last a lifetime.

Why Saint Michael?

Saint Michael stands for everything we honor on this day: protection, courage, and the bravery to stand against evil. Scripture shows him leading the armies of heaven, and for centuries he has been the patron of soldiers, police, and all who defend others — the saint they carry into harm’s way.

Our hand-painted Saint Michael the Archangel figure, sword raised and shield in hand, on a shelf — or sent to someone in uniform — is a quiet, powerful way to say: we are praying for you, and God goes with you.

Find him in our hand-painted Miniature Saint Statues collection. And for the children of military families, our Saint Michael plush gives them a soft protector to hold when a parent is away.

A Prayer for Veterans

Veterans Day asks something simple of every family: to remember, to give thanks, and to pray. And it points us to a hopeful truth the soldier-saints lived out — that the bravest service of all is love poured out for others.

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Saint Michael and Saint Martin, watch over all who serve, and bring every veteran safely home.

For more ways to live the faith together at home, visit the It's Fun to Be Catholic blog.