At St Mary’s, towards the end of Black History Month, we’ll be blessing an icon of St Martin de Porres who, amongst many other things is patron saint of those who seek and work for social justice and racial harmony.
There is, at present, just a small representation of black people in the art work at St Mary’s. This can be found in one of the Stations of the Cross, with Simon of Cyrene and his two sons, Alexander and Rufus.
The icon of St Martin will be a place to pray and light candles, and will also go a little way to better reflect our community and the lives of those who worship here.
Who was St Martin?
St Martin was born in the city of Lima, Peru on 9 December, 1579. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan de Porras y de la Peña, and Ana Velázquez, a freed slave of African and Native descent. After the birth of his sister, the father abandoned the family, and his mother supported her children by taking in laundry. He grew up in poverty and was sent to a primary school for two years, and then placed with a barber surgeon as an apprentice.
He spent much time in prayer and was drawn to the Religious Life. However, under Peruvian law, descendants of Africans and Native Americans were barred from becoming full members of religious orders, so he asked the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a volunteer to perform menial tasks in the monastery in return for being able to wear the habit and live with the religious community. He was received at the age of 15, first as a servant boy and then as an almoner. He also took on kitchen work, laundry, and cleaning, as well as continuing his trade of barbering, and performed many miraculous cures.
After eight years at the Priory, the Prior decided to ignore the law, and permitted St Martin to take his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, although he was mocked by some fellow brothers as being illegitimate and descended from slaves. In 1603, when he was 24 years old, he was allowed to profess religious vows as a Dominican lay brother.
St Martin was noted for his work on behalf of the poor, established an orphanage and a children’s hospital, and had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament where he spent many hours in prayer. He is the patron saint of black people, people with a mixed ethnic background, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, and all those seeking racial harmony and social justice as well as animals, schools and public health.
The icon of St Martin will be blessed at St Mary’s Church, Butetown on Sunday 29 October at the 11am Mass. All are welcome.
St Martin de Porres, born: 9 December, 1579; died: 3 November, 1639; Beatified, 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI; Canonized, 1962 by Pope John XXIII
St Martin de Porres, pray for us.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 