The prayers to him are old and unusually warm, and several of them mention animals, which needs explaining rather than editing out.
Historical Context
Who he was
He was the illegitimate son of Don Juan de Porras, a Spanish nobleman, and Ana Velázquez, a freed woman of African and Native descent. He was apprenticed to a barber-surgeon as a boy, which in the sixteenth century meant learning to cut hair, pull teeth, set bones and bleed patients — and it is why barbers and public health workers both claim him.
He entered the Dominican priory in Lima as a volunteer servant because that was the only door open to him, and did the lowest work in the house. After eight years a prior let him take vows as a lay brother, in 1603. He spent the rest of his life nursing the sick of the city, founded an orphanage, and was known for feeding anyone who came to the gate.
Gregory XVI beatified him in 1837. John XXIII canonised him on 6 May 1962 — during the first year of the Second Vatican Council and at the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, which is why he was so quickly taken up as the patron of interracial justice. The Church had a saint ready-made for the argument, and had been sitting on him for three hundred years.
The Collect for His Feast
The Church’s own prayer to him, from the Roman Missal for 3 November:
O God, who led Saint Martin de Porres
by the path of humility to heavenly glory,
grant that we may so follow his radiant example in this life
as to merit to be exalted with him in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer to Saint Martin de Porres
To you, Saint Martin de Porres,
we prayerfully lift up our hearts
filled with serene confidence and devotion.
Mindful of your unbounded and helpful charity
to all levels of society,
and also of your meekness and humility of heart,
we offer our petitions to you.
Pour out upon our families the precious gifts
of your solicitous and generous intercession.
Show to the people of every race and every colour
the paths of unity and of justice.
Implore from our Father in heaven
the coming of his kingdom.
Amen.
Prayer in Time of Difficulty
Most humble Saint Martin,
whose burning charity embraced all,
but especially those who were sick, afflicted, or in need,
we turn to you for help in our present difficulties,
and we implore you to obtain for us from God
health of soul and body,
and in particular the favour we now ask.
Prostrate at the feet of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
you spent long hours in prayer for those who sought your aid.
Do not forget us now.
Amen.
Why the Prayers Mention Animals
One of the oldest prayers to him runs: “Most glorious Martin de Porres, whose burning charity embraced not only your needy brethren, but also the very animals of the field.” That is not padding. He is traditionally depicted with a dog, a cat and a mouse eating peacefully from the same dish, and the story behind the image — that he could not bring himself to put down vermin and fed them instead — is one of the best attested things about him.
Most glorious Martin de Porres,
whose burning charity embraced not only your needy brethren
but also the very animals of the field —
splendid example of charity, we hail you and invoke you.
From that high throne which you occupy,
listen to the supplications of your needy brethren,
that, imitating your virtues,
we may live contented in the position God assigns to us,
and carry with courage our crosses.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- On 3 November, his feast.
- For the sick, and by anyone who nurses them for a living.
- For an end to racial division, in a parish or a family.
- By barbers, hairdressers and anyone in public health.
- When you are doing work beneath your ability and resenting it.
- For an animal that is ill.
Scripture Connection
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” — Proverbs 19:17
The verse is a transaction, and Martin took it that way for forty years — begging in Lima for money he immediately gave away, and being trusted with it because everyone knew none of it stopped with him.
Related prayers
The Dominican tradition is well represented here: St Benedict for the monastic root, and St John of God, the other great patron of hospitals and the sick.
For healing specifically, see the Saint Raphael Prayer. St Martha is the patron of those who do the household work nobody notices, which was Martin’s entire vocation for eight years.
