Powerful Prayer to St. Martin de Porres
“Most glorious martin De Porres,
whose burning charity embraced
not only your needy brethren, but
also the very animals of the field,
splendid example of charity, we hail
you and invoke you!
From that high throne which you do
occupy, listen to the supplications of
your needy brethren that, by imitating
your virtues, we may live contented
in that state in which God has placed
us and carrying with strength and
courage our cross, we may follow in
the footsteps of Our Blessed Redeemer
and His most afflicted Mother, that at
last we may reach the Kingdom of
Heaven through the merits of Our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!”
About St. Martin de Porres:
St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru in 1579. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish knight and a freed Panama slave. His mother apprenticed him to a surgeon/barber where he learned to care for the sick.
When he was fifteen, Martin became a lay helper at the Dominican Friary of Lima. After nine years of service, his continuous prayer, penance and charity led the community to request that he join their order. Martin continued to care for the sick and for slaves brought over from Africa. He helped to open an orphanage and a hospital. He became known as a skilled surgeon and healer, saving the life of a priest with a badly infected leg and healing the fingers of a student working to become a priest. His cures came as much from his prayers as they did from his medical knowledge. He was known to heal the sick outside the friary with as little as a glass of water. He ran an animal hospital at his sister’s house.
Stories are told of him having a cat, a dog, and a mouse eating together from the same bowl of food. He had a reputation for spiritual wisdom which caused people to come to him to solve marriage problems and resolve theological conflicts.
Martin was known to have the gift of bi-location and levitation during prayer. He was said to have been seen in Mexico, Central America, and Japan by people who knew him well even though he had not left Lima since joining the order. He appeared at the bedside of those suffering without being asked. His fellow Dominicans referred to him as the father of charity. He died November 3, 1639 and was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962.
Feast Day: November 3
Name Meaning: Of Mars, Warlike
Patron Saint of: Barbers, hairdressers, social justice
Thank You for the image and prayer to St Martin de Porres