Saint Martin de Porres, Religious

Martín de Porres was born in Lima in 1579, the son of a Spanish nobleman, Juan de Porres, and Ana Velázquez, a freed Black woman from Panama; his father recognized him only later. He trained as a barber-surgeon, which then included letting blood and treating wounds. At about fifteen he went to the Dominican priory of the Holy Rosary as a lay helper, since the rules then barred people of African descent from full membership, and in 1603 he was allowed to make vows as a brother. He served as infirmarian, cared for the sick poor of the city, helped found an orphanage and fed stray animals; tradition tells many stories of his gifts. He died on 3 November 1639 and was canonized in 1962.