Martin de Porres
Martín de Porras Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of Black people, mixed-race people, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, all those seeking racial harmony, and animals.
He was noted for his work on behalf of the poor, establishing an orphanage and a children's hospital. He maintained an austere lifestyle, which included fasting and abstaining from meat. Among the many miracles attributed to him were those of levitation, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures, and an ability to communicate with animals.
Patron saint of Diocese of Biloxi; black people; hair stylists; innkeepers; lottery; lottery winners; mixed-race people; poor people; public education; public health; public schools; race relations; social justice; state schools; television; Peruvian Naval Aviators
In the Martyrology
- November 3 Saint Martin de Porres, Dominican religious