3rd November

It was at the end of the 16th century and at that time Lima stood as a melting pot of cultures in the vast and diverse Viceroyalty of Peru. It was in this setting that God began to weave an exceptional story of holiness. On 9 December 1579, Saint Martin de Porres was born. His parents were Ana Velásquez (a liberated woman of African descent) and Juan de Porres (a Spanish Knight of the Order of Alcántara, born in Burgos).
This century was a very difficult time because black people had no rights. Martin grew up seeing the injustices done to his black brothers, as they were sold as slaves in the markets. On several occasions Martin himself tried to pass himself off as one of them, but this caused problems for his family.
In 1594 he entered the Order of St. Dominic de Guzmán as a ‘donado’ without the option of the priesthood and having to serve the monastery for life, carrying out the humblest tasks. In 1603 he was made a brother and in 1606 he was admitted as a friar, professing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
In Lima he was already known as ‘Martín de la caridad’ (Martin of Charity) as he helped anyone who needed his help. He received many gifts from God, such as healing, control over nature and animals, and bilocation.

At the age of 60 he fell ill and on 3 November 1639 St. Martin died in the company of his religious brothers. His funeral was one of the most crowded in the city, and on that day all the churches rang their bells. His remains rest in a crypt in the convent of Santo Domingo in Lima. How to make small daily acts an offering of love to God?

H. Yoselin Bonafón