Stained glass window from St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C. Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

Known as the “Apostle of Charity,” Martin de Porres (1579 – 1639) was born in Lima, Peru, the son of a slave. While a young man, he was accepted as a cooperator brother at the Dominican priory in Lima and spent his life there as a barber, farm laborer, and the like. Helping in the infirmary, Martin learned the art of medicine and spent long hours with the sick and dying, particularly slaves and the poor, giving rise to many stories about his closeness to God and the miracles attributed to his intercession, primarily his gift of healing. Here he is shown healing a sick child whose worried mother looks on. Daily he fed nearly two hundred people, and weekly he disbursed hundreds of dollars worth of food, clothing, and other necessities of life among Indians, Africans, and Spaniards. Martin is the patron saint of work for interracial justice and harmony.

=The above excerpt is from Reflections of Dominican Spirituality: The Windows of St. Dominic Church, Washington, D.C. by Dr. Mary Moran.