The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin de Porres on 3 November. He was a Peruvian Dominican brother and he was well known for his humble service and charity. He became the first black saint of the Americas.
Catholicnews.in shares some fascinating facts about this inspiring saint.
- Father Rebuked Him
Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru in 1579. He was rebuked by his father because of his dark complexion like his mother. He was the son of a Spanish nobleman and a former Panamanian black slave. Being biracial would prove challenging for Martin throughout his life.
2. Started Practicing Medicine before He was 13
Martin served as an apprentice to a doctor at a very younger age. He began to learn the practice of medicine at the age of 13. He would eventually become a barber, which at the time performed minor medical and surgical procedures like pulling teeth or emptying abscesses.
3. Faced Discrimination as a Dominican
Martin entered the Dominican order in 1603. Martin faced many challenges as he is of mixed race. During that time Peruvian law prevented people of mixed races from joining religious orders. Therefore, he lived with the community and did manual work, earning himself the nickname “the saint of the broom” for his diligence in cleaning the Dominicans’ quarters.
Later he was allowed to enter the order, despite the law, and worked in the infirmary tending to the sick and among the impoverished of Peru. “I cure them, but God heals them,’” Martin would say when curing the sick. He also had the task of begging for alms for feeding and clothing the poor.
He also established an orphanage and planted an orchard from which those in need could freely take a day’s supply of fruit.
4. He Levitated and Bilocated
Martin was a man of prayer. Many of the brothers witnessed him levitating in intense prayer and embracing the crucified Cross. He had the gift of bilocation, and some of his contemporaries said they encountered him in places as far off as Japan even as he remained in Lima. Some claimed that he had appeared to them supernaturally behind locked doors or under otherwise impossible circumstances.
5. He was Reluctant to Eat Meat
Martin was an extensive lover of animals. So he refused to eat meat and ran a veterinary hospital for sick animals that seemed to seek out his help.
The images of the saint often include cats, dogs, and even the rats to whom he showed compassion.
6. Patron Saint of Multiple Manual Labor Occupations
Martin has done many jobs at a time, so he earned the title of the patron saint of barbers, the sick, and street cleaners. On the 50th anniversary of St. Martin de Porres’ canonization, Father Juan Anguerri, director of the St. Martin de Porres Home for the Poor, said, “These are often thankless tasks, but yet through his humble service, St. Martin sent a message to revitalize these jobs.”