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Saint
Martin de Porres
Feast Day: November 3
Some people do good no matter what
happens to them. Martin de Porres did. His mother was an African or Indian
from Panama. His father was a Spanish soldier. So people made fun of Martin
because he came from two different races.
What did Martin do? He blessed his enemies; he did good to those who laughed
at him. Was this easy? No. But Martin simply loved to do good.
Martin was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. His father left his family when
Martin was eight. This left Martin and his baby sister and their mother
very poor. But Martin still gave away whatever he could to other hungry
and poor people.
When he was twelve, Martin went to work for a barber. He learned to cut
hair and to heal wounds. Later, Martin became a Dominican lay brother.
Soon, he founded orphanages for homeless children.
Martin also founded nurseries for motherless babies. He cared for lonely
African slaves who had been forced to come to Lima. He gave shirts to
those who had no clothes; bread to those who had no food; shelter to those
who had no homes.
In 1639, Martin died. Everyone in Lima mourned him. In 1962, the Church
declared that Martin de Porres was a saint.
Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Grade 6, chapter 3
