Books about St. Martin de Porres

Martin De Porres: A Saint for Our Time /  St. Martin De Porres-Apostle of Charity

St. Martin de Porres  /  A Saint Of The Americas  /  Humble Healer

St. Martin de Porres 

(1579-1339)

Catholic Priest and saint 

St. Martin de Porres (1579-1339) was born out of wedlock in Lima, Peru, as the child of a Spaniard Don Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman and adventurer, and Ana Velasquez, a freed African slave.   Abandoned by Don Juan, Ana  supported her two children. This black washerwoman, though impoverished, had a kind and sensitive soul; she did not instill bitterness nor selfishness in her children. Martin remained throughout his life sensitive to the plight of the poor, and especially the orphans to whom he would devote much of his time and resources.

Even as a child, Martin gave scarce family resources to the beggars whom he saw as less fortunate than himself. Don Juan, his father, when Martin was about eight returned to Ana and   claimed his two mulatto children in spite of shame and gossip. He provided a good education for his children so that they had enough money not to suffer privation. 

At the age of twelve, Martin began an apprenticeship with Marcel de Rivero, a barber/surgeon. named  He proved extremely skillful at this trade and customers preferred his attendance

Martin de Porres joined the Dominican Order of Preachers as a donado (lay helper or tertiary). The donados were the lowest-ranking Dominicans, performing the heaviest chores in the Order. He was eventually elevated to brother but never did become a full priest.

Martin often challenged his brother Dominicans on their racial attitudes. He noted that a group of Indians were treated different than some whites who were provided food without having to work for it. Martin himself insisted on performing hard and menial tasks as caring for the Order's horses in the evenings, even when informed that servants were available for these chores. He extended his healing gifts, visiting their quarters and treating their ailments.

Martin's spiritual practices were  rather harsh: he fasted for extensive periods on bread and water. There were all-night vigils in which he prayed in the position of the crucified, and sometimes kneeling a foot or more off the floor. He scourged himself with chains--three times a day: for the souls in Purgatory, for unrepentant sinners, for his own soul.

Martin had a great love for animals. They came to him and they understood him and he healed them as well. After his death, Martin because of his lifelong became the patron saint of social justice. Martin fed, sheltered and doctored hundreds of families. In addition he established the Orphanage and School of the Holy Cross which took in boys and girls of all classes and taught them trades or homemaking skills.  He insisted that the workers of the orphanage be well-paid  and respected for their service.

On November 3rd, 1639, at the age of sixty, Martin died of a violent fever. Thousands of Peruvians attended his funeral. People from all walks of life wanted a piece of him as a relic. They tussled for a piece of his habit, which have been associated with innumerable miraculous cures.

Pope Gregory XVI declared martin "Blessed" and set his feast day for November 5th. Pope John XXIII  canonized him on May 6th, 1962 before a crowd of 40,000 people. St. Martin de Porres continues to be greatly revered, especially in the Americas, for his commitment to racial and social justice. For some today he is considered the patron saint For mixed-Race people.