St Martin de Porres, the son of a Spanish aristocrat father and an African-Native formerly enslaved mother, knew the special pain of not fitting into society's singular categories. He knew the pain of not being offered a place to belong.
He was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru. After his father abandoned the family, his mother worked tirelessly to support her children, but they lived in poverty. Martin dropped out of school to become a barber's apprentice. He began praying late into the night, drawing closer and closer to God.
He desired to become a Dominican religious, but Peruvian law prohibited mixed-race members of religious orders. Martin was allowed to become only a donado, a volunteer servant of the order. He performed menial labor in exchange for living with the order and wearing its habit, but he was barred from full membership. Finally, after years of witnessing Martin's patient holiness, the prior ignored the law and welcomed Martin into full religious vows. Yet even after he had become a full brother in the monastery, many monks rejected him for his race and class background.
He refused to let injustice embitter him, but poured himself out in unconditional service—to both slaves and nobles, to both those marginalized and those elevated by society. He lived with a heart of compassion for the most neglected and forgiveness for the worst offenders, saying, "Charity takes precedence over all precepts!"
He died in 1639, renowned for his humble grace. His feast is November 3.
The painting at the top of this page was created during his lifetime, making it likely that it reflects his actual appearance. In 2015, researchers in Lima used this image to construct a 3D model of his face. You can read about the fascinating process and results here.
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