Martin de Porres

Saint Martin de Porres

Also known as
•Martín de Porres Velázquez
•Martin of Charity
•Martin the Charitable
•Saint of the Broom (for his devotion to his work, no matter how menial)

Memorial
•3 November

Profile
Our saint today was the child of an unwed freed black slave from Peru; Anna Velasquez and a Spanish nobleman named Juan Somethingorother. As is the way when women are not respected as children of God, but rather as items of male desire, Juan acted like Paul VI said he would, and had nothing to do with Anna or the young Martin.

Martin grew up in poverty. While still very young, in order to support himself he got a job working with a surgeon-barber who taught him some of the trade, haircutting and rudimentary health care; lancing boils scraping rashes, applying leeches, and the like.

When he was 11 he got a job in the local Dominican monastery in Lima, Peru basically as a servant, cleaning up and sweeping. Eventually he was promoted and was sent out to do “fundraising” for the Dominicans which, at the time, was essentially begging on the streets. He was able to beg more than $2,000 a week from the rich to support the poor and sick of Lima. When he was put in charge of the Dominican infirmary he became famous for his extreme tenderness to the sick and poor and his miraculous cures, including raising the dead.

Back in the 1500’s the Dominicans would not permit a black person to be “received to the holy habit or profession of our Order.” This is an example, once again, of how these things happen when we don’t see our fellow man as being created in the image and likeness of God. Even those who profess to be a servant of the Lord can be blinded by the Enemy and made to think they are doing the right thing. This rule was dropped by the Dominicans because of the Lord working through Martin. Our Saint took vows as a Dominican brother in 1603.

Martin worked his whole life in service to the poor and needy, he set up an orphanage and children‘s hospital for the poor children of the slums and even a shelter for the stray cats and dogs. He lived in self-imposed austerity, and, like Mr. Spock, he never ate meat. He fasted continuously, and spent much time in prayer and meditation with a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. When his order fell on hard times he offered to sell himself into slavery to get money for their mutual support.

He was venerated from the day of his death.

Born
•9 December 1579 at Lima, Peru

Died
•3 November 1639 in Lima, Peru of fever


Patronage
•against rats
•barbers
•bi-racial people
•black people
•for inter-racial justice
•for social justice
•hair stylists
•hairdressers
•hotel-keepers
•innkeepers
•mixed-race people
•paupers
•Peru
•poor people
•public education
•public health
•public schools
•race relations
•racial harmony

Representation
•broom
•crucifix
•dog, cat, bird, and mouse eating together in harmony from a same dish
•rosary