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| (Statue of St. Martin de Porres at St. Vicnert Ferrer Parish, NYC) |
Today we Dominicans celebrate the memorial of St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639) – one of three Dominican saints who walked the streets of Lima, Peru in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - St. Rose of Lima and St. John Macias being the other two.
St. John XXIII canonized St. Martin on May 6, 1962.
There are a number of reasons why I have a great fondness for St. Martin de Porres.
He was a simple, humble and holy layman who initially refused the Dominican habit, not feeling worthy to wear it. After serving his Dominican brothers for nine years, as an act of obedience, he made his Solemn vows as a lay Dominican brother.
