Catholic saints st martin de porres biography

On May 16, 1962, Pope John XXIII, in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, made Martin de Porres the first black American saint. Martin was born on December 9, 1579, in Lima, Peru, the illegitimate son of Don Juan de Porres of Burgos, a Spanish nobleman, and Ana Velasquez, a young, freed, Negro slave-girl.

From early childhood Martin showed great piety, a deep love for all God’s creatures and a passionate devotion to Our Lady.

At the age of eleven he took a job as a servant in the Dominican priory and performed the work with such devotion that he was called “the Saint of the broom.” He was promoted to the job of almoner and soon was begging more than $2,000 a week from the rich.

All that was begged was given to the poor and sick of Lima in the form of food, clothing, or medicine.

Martin was placed in charge of the Dominican’s infirmary where he became known for his tender care of the sick and for his spectacular cures.

In r