St Martin de Porres

Martin’s dad was a knight from Spain and his mother was a woman who used to be a slave. His family was very poor and so Martin and his sister had to work very hard to help the family. After working all day, Martin would spend many hours praying at night. When he was 15 years old he entered the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima, Peru. He joined only as a servant at first and he did all kinds of work - whatever the Dominicans asked of him. Later in his life, he felt called to join the Dominican Order, but wasn’t allowed to become a friar because he had dark skin. After many years of serving the Dominicans, the leaders of the Order saw how holy Martin was. He was always praying, always helping others, and even healed the sick through miracles in God’s name. They finally allowed him to become a Dominican Friar and he was put in charge of the Dominican’s hospital. Martin served there until he died. He was always very patient with those who were sick and he performed many miracles there. He also served those who did not come to the hospital, helping anyone he saw who was sick and healing many people. Other miracles that people reported were that Martin would sometimes levitate (float) while he prayed, he was able to bilocate (be in more than one place at a time), and he was able to pass through locked doors without opening them. He shared God’s mercy and practiced charity (giving to others) his whole life, with everything he had.