Martin de Porres was born in 1579 in Lima Peru, the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a black Panamanian mother. As a boy he learned the art of healing. Entering the Dominicans, he served as infirmarian and in 1603 took religious vows. Martin healed the illnesses of the poor and also of animals, led a life of profound prayer, penance and extraordinary spiritual gifts. He died in 1539. A patron saint of American blacks, he was canonised by Pope John XXIII in 1962. – CTS New Daily Roman Missal 2012, p 3112; Vatican II Weekday Missal 1975, p 1802
