St. Martin de Porres
Feast day: November 3
St. Martin grew up in the country of Peru and was raised by a single mother, who was freed from enslavement. Many people were unkind to him because of his skin color — his father was white and his mother was Black.
He first worked as a barber. He then worked as a servant for the Dominican community, a religious group of people who tried to imitate St. Dominic.
Several years later, he became a Dominican brother and spent over 25 years caring for people who were sick, often bringing the poor into Dominicans’ house — which is called a “friary” — to care for them.
St. Martin was friends with a girl named Rose, who we now call St. Rose of Lima. They are an example of how we can help our friends become saints by encouraging each other to love and serve God.
He is commonly pictured with a broom in his hands because he knew that all work can be offered as a gift to God. We can be like St. Martin by helping our family without complaining and putting others before ourselves.
He is the patron saint of African Americans, public schools and social justice.
To celebrate his feast day, with the help of a parent, you can make a themed snack by sticking a mini pretzel stick on top of an upside-down mini Reese’s cup to resemble a broom.
