A saint for Black History Month that comes to mind is the Dominican laybrother St. Martin de Porres. As patron saint of racial justice, this mulatto is the go-to intercessor for today when strife between races is rampant.

My Experience with St. Martin

St. Martin had the gift of healing. When I was in great pain from a herniated disc in my neck, I dreaded having surgery, so I prayed to him for a cure. Then a Sister informed me that a sign St. Martin was going to intercede for you was that you would see a mouse! (That stems from the time Martin found mice nibbling at church vestments and instead of killing them, escorted a horde of them outside. He made a deal: if they would stay outside he would feed them every day, which he did.) Notice the two mice in the painting above.

Reluctant to come across a mouse, I switched intercessors and turned from Martin to St. Francis of Assisi. Nevertheless, as I watched the movie Babe, I saw three mice acting as the narrators! I didn’t mind that kind of mice. And, yes, doctors healed me.

Who Is Saint Martin?

Jean Martin de Porres Velazquez was born in Lima, Peru, on December 9, 1579. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish gentleman and a former slave of African and Native descent from Panama. Martin’s racially mixed heritage denied him any rights as a Spanish citizen. After his sister was born, their father abandoned the family, leaving them in poverty. After two years of primary school, Martin was apprenticed to a surgeon-barber and was trained as a pharmacist, doctor, and surgeon.

Vocation

At age 15, Martin was received by the Dominicans, first as a servant and then as an almoner, begging money from the rich to assist the needy. He still did barbering and was dubbed the Saint of the Broom because he did menial work in the kitchen, laundry, and housekeeping. Eight years later, he prior disregarded the law and let Martin take vows as a Third Order Dominican. Some of the 300 men in the monastery mocked Martin.

Spirituality

Devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, Martin spent hours in prayer. He also practiced severe penances.

Humility

When he was 34, Martin became a Dominican lay brother and was assigned to the community infirmary. It’s said that he refused this promotion several times. Supposedly when the abbey was in debt, he proposed, “I am only a poor mulatto, sell me.”

St. Martin’s Supernatural Gifts

When an epidemic broke out, novices who fell ill were confined to locked quarters. Undeterred, Martin passed through locked doors to care for each patient.

It is said he had the gifts of levitation, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, and an ability to communicate with animals. Miraculous cures were attributed to Martin before and after his death at age sixty.

Charity

Martin’s universal charity was expressed by tender compassion for the individual. No one was turned away. His gift was that of “ministry to all.” He even opened an animal hospital at his sister’s house. I wonder what she thought of that!

When the Prior reprimanded Martin for disobeying by bringing a sick person into his room, the Saint said, “Please correct me if the rule of obedience takes precedence over that of charity.” The Prior then let Martin free to serve others in any way necessary.

Martin established an orphanage and a hospital for poor children.

Martin was beatified in 1837 and canonized in 1962. This first Black saint of the Americas has an impressive job description. He is the patron of racial harmony, people of mixed race, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, and animals. His feast is celebrated on November 3.

St. Martin of Porres, pray for us.

Another Healer Saint like St. Martin

Last year I came across “Saint Padre Pio’s Powerful Healing Prayer,” which is quite beautiful. Besides praying it myself, I’ve been passing it out. You might add it to your daily prayers too.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me.

I thank you for sending your Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to save and to set me free.

I trust in your power and grace that sustain and restore me.

Loving Father,

touch me now with your healing hands,

for I believe that your will is for me to be well in mind, body, soul, and spirit.

Cover me with the most precious blood of your Son,

our Lord, Jesus Christ, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

Cast anything that should not be in me.

Root out any unhealthy and abnormal cells.

Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild and replenish any damaged areas.

Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection

by the power of Jesus’s precious blood.

Let the fire of your healing love pass through my entire body

to heal and make new any diseased areas

so that my body will function the way you created it to function.

Touch also my mind and my emotions,

even the deepest recesses of my heart.

Saturate my entire being with your presence,

love, joy, and peace, and draw me ever closer to you every moment of my life.

And, Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit

and empower me to do your works

so that my life will bring glory and honor to your holy name.

I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

You might be interested in learning more about Padre Pio. This video is about an hour long:

Christ the Healer

Of course, the greatest healer of all time is Jesus Christ. He healed a wounded world and while on earth tirelessly cured people suffering from various ailments. Today he makes his healing available through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Let’s pray to him to heal our country.

• What do you find most inspiring about St. Martin?

• To whom do you pray when you are sick?