St Martin De Porres
St Martin de Porres
Feast Day: 3rd November
Born in: Peru
Patron Saint of Social Justice and racial harmony
Saint Martin de Porres
St Martin de Porres is the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony. He was noted for work on behalf of the poor, establishing an orphanage and a children’s hospital. He maintained an austere lifestyle, which included fasting and abstaining from meat. As Martin grew older, he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed-race. In Peru, by law, all descendants of African or Indians were not allowed to become full members of religious orders. Martin, who spent long hours in prayer, found his only way into the community he longed for was to ask the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a volunteer who performed the most menial tasks in the monastery.
Catholic Social Teaching
St Martin de Porres teaches us the importance of human dignity and that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. He did not fit into the popular society at his time due to his mixed - race status. Many people across the world still face such prejudices because of their place or country of birth, colour of skin, religion or social status. At St Joseph's, we believe we are all equal, and beautifully diverse. We celebrate our differences and stand up to any forms of hate.