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Martin
was born in Peru in the sixteenth century. His father was a
Spanish Knight and his mother a freed black woman from Panama.
His father didn't want much to do with young Martin because
of his complexion, which was more akin to his dark-skinned mother.
He was left solely in her charge, and when he was twelve he
became a hairdresser's apprentice. Just three years later he
joined the Dominicans and became a monastic barber and gardener.
He became a renowned miracle worker, and people from all walks
of life would come from near and far to shake his healing hand.
Calling himself a “mulatto dog,” Martin worked faithfully
and humbly to serve his community, once having offered to sell
himself as a slave to raise money for the Church. He built orphanages
and hospitals and tended to the sick and poor, black or white,
as well as the rich and privileged. He believed that vermin
were also God's creatures and should be loved and respected
as such, and he was said to have been able to speak telepathically
with animals. Martin is also the patron of public education,
public health workers, television, mixed races, and racial harmony.
His feast day is November 3. |
To
order
click on one of
the links below
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| St.
Martin de Porres
Patron St. of
Social Justice
and Hairdressers
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