Saint Martin de Porres: The Selfless Healer and Advocate for the Poor

Saint Martin de Porres was a Dominican lay brother from Lima, Peru. He is known for his work with the poor and his devotion to the sick and the needy. He was born on December 9, 1579 and died on November 3, 1639. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and is the patron saint of social justice, mixed-race people, and hair stylists.

Martin was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a free black woman. Despite his mixed-race heritage, he was able to enter the Dominican order as a lay brother, a position that did not require formal education or priestly ordination. Throughout his life, he devoted himself to helping the poor and the sick, and was known for his charity and humility.

One of the most interesting facts about Martin is that he had a special gift for healing, and was said to be able to perform miraculous cures. He was also skilled at making herbal remedies, and was said to have been able to heal various illnesses using plants and herbs. He was also known for his ability to communicate with animals, and was said to have had a close relationship with the rats and mice in the monastery where he lived.

In addition to his work with the poor and the sick, Martin was also a skilled hair stylist and barber, and was known for cutting the hair of the friars in his monastery. 

Saint Martin de Porres is celebrated on November 3rd each year, and his feast day is a national holiday in Peru. His canonization was relatively recent, on May 6th, 1962 by Pope John XXIII.