On December 9, 1579, St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru. Juan de Porres, a Spanish man, and Ana Velasquez, a freed slave from Panama who may have been Native American or African in origin, were the parents of Martin. Martin was raised in extreme poverty as a result of his father's early abandonment of him, his mother, and his younger sister. His mother apprenticed him to a barber-surgeon when he was twelve years old. Martin learned how to take blood, which was a common medical procedure back then, cut hair, tend to wounds, and mix and dispense medications.

Martin faced a lot of mockery as he grew older because he was mixed-race. All descendants of Africans or Indians were prohibited by law in Peru from joining religious orders as full members. After spending many hours in prayer, Martin discovered that the only way he could join the community he so desperately wanted was to volunteer to do the most basic work in the monastery, Holy Rosary Priory in Lima, run by Dominicans. He would be permitted to reside in the religious community and wear the habit in exchange.

Martin, then fifteen, applied for admittance to the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima, where he was accepted as a servant boy and then promoted to the position of church officer responsible for giving money to the poor who deserved it.

Martin picked up his former crafts of healing and barbering when he was residing in the Convent. He cleaned, did laundry, and worked in the kitchen as well. Following eight more years of Holy Rosary devotion, the prior Juan de Lorenzana chose to disobey the statute limiting Martin due to his race and allowed Martin to profess his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic.

Not every member of the Holy Rosary was as accepting as Lorenzana, though; Martin endured derogatory remarks and was made fun of for being an illegitimate child of a slave.

At the age of 24, Martin became a Dominican lay brother in 1603. Martin was given the religious habit of a lay brother ten years later, and he was then sent to the infirmary, where he would hold leadership roles until his death. He gained notoriety for embodying the qualities required to carefully and gently tend to the sick, even under the most trying circumstances.

Martin received recognition for his selfless compassion towards everyone, regardless of money or color. From the African slaves to the Spanish nobility, he looked after them all. Martin would welcome someone into his own home regardless of their cleanliness or illness.

Martin's life was an example of his deep appreciation for God and all of his blessings. It's claimed that he possessed a wide range of extraordinary abilities, such as flying through the air, bilocation, fast healing, miraculous knowledge, and a wonderful bond with animals. Martin is renowned for quickly raising dowries for young girls and for having established an orphanage for runaways and former slaves.

Martin had a close friendship with two lay Dominicans, St. Rose of Lima and St. Juan Macias.

Martin fell seriously ill in January 1639, when he was 60 years old, with chills, fevers, and tremors that caused him agonizing pain. He suffered from the disease for about a year before dying on November 3, 1639.

He was widely recognized and well-liked by the time of his death. There was talk everywhere about his medical marvels and healing of the ill. When he was exhumed 25 years later, his body gave off a magnificent scent and he was still intact due to the extraordinary healings he had received after his passing.

On October 29, 1837, Pope Gregory XVI beatified St. Martin de Porres, and on May 6, 1962, Pope John XXIII canonized him. He is now revered as the patron saint of people of mixed race, innkeepers, barbers, and public health workers. His feast day is celebrated on November 3.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Florus
Saint Malachy
Saint Pirmin
Saint Valentinian
Saint Quaratus