Story of Saint Martin de Porres | Stories of Saints for Kids | EP85

Christian Family TV

5 Sept 202010:08

Summary

TLDRThis video recounts the life of Saint Martin de Porres, born in 1519 in Lima, Peru, to a Spanish nobleman and a freed Panamanian woman. Despite facing racial discrimination and extreme poverty, Martin's spiritual devotion, humility, and charitable works became legendary. He joined a Dominican monastery as a lay helper, where his medical skills and acts of kindness earned him widespread admiration. Known for miraculous healings, generosity, and even communicating with animals, Saint Martin is celebrated as the patron saint of social justice. He was canonized in 1962, long after his death in 1639.

Takeaways

🎉 Saint Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1519, to a Spanish nobleman and a freed daughter of slaves.
🌍 Martin inherited his mother's dark complexion, which led to his father abandoning the family when Martin was young.
🙏 Even as a child, Martin was known for his generosity, often giving away the family's limited resources to the less fortunate.
💇‍♂️ At age 12, Martin began an apprenticeship as a barber, a trade that involved medical tasks like wound care and bloodletting.
🛐 At age 15, Martin chose a religious life, joining a Dominican ministry, though racial restrictions prevented him from becoming a full member.
🩺 Martin's skills as a healer and surgeon became widely known, and he cared for both people and animals with compassion.
🐭 The legend of the rats highlights Martin's kindness, as he struck a deal with the rats to stop bothering the monastery in exchange for daily food.
✨ Martin is believed to have had miraculous abilities, including bilocation, passing through locked doors, and levitating during prayer.
🏫 Martin founded an orphanage and school for boys and girls, teaching them trades and homemaking skills, showing his dedication to social justice.
💐 After Martin's death in 1639, his body was found intact and exuding a pleasant fragrance, and miracles continued to be attributed to him.

Q & A

Where and when was Saint Martin de Porres born?
-Saint Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1519.
Who were Saint Martin de Porres' parents?
-His father was Don Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman and adventurer, and his mother was Anna Velasquez, a freed daughter of slaves from Panama.
What was Martin's mother's occupation and how did it affect his upbringing?
-Martin's mother worked in a laundry, and he was raised by her in extreme poverty.
At what age did Martin begin his apprenticeship with a barber?
-Martin began an apprenticeship with a barber named Marcel de Rivero at the age of 12.
What was unique about the barber's work during the 16th century?
-During the 16th century, a barber's work involved more than just cutting hair; it also included administering medicines, dressing wounds, and drawing blood.
Why was Martin not allowed to join the religious order at 15?
-Racial restrictions during the time did not allow colored people to become members of religious orders.
What position was Martin offered instead of becoming a member of the religious order?
-He was offered the position of lay helper, which he happily accepted.
What is the legend of the rats associated with Saint Martin de Porres?
-The legend of the rats tells the story of Martin reprimanding rats for their bad habits, telling them about the poison, and making a deal with them to feed them in the garden if they would refrain from annoying the prior.
What is Saint Martin de Porres known for besides his healing abilities?
-Saint Martin de Porres is known for his charity, humility, and obedience, which made him the patron saint of social justice.
What significant establishment did Martin create?
-Martin established the orphanage and school of the Holy Cross, which took in boys and girls of all classes and taught them trades or homemaking skills.
When and how did Saint Martin de Porres die?
-Saint Martin de Porres died on November 3rd, 1639, surrounded by his brothers and reciting the credo, with his life ending with the words 'at homo factus est'.
When was Saint Martin de Porres raised to the altar of the church?
-Pope John XIII raised Martin de Porres to the altar of the church on May 5th, 1962.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Saint Martin de Porres' Humble Beginnings

Saint Martin de Porres was born on December 9, 1519, in Lima, Peru, to a Spanish nobleman, Don Juan de Porres, and a freed daughter of Panamanian slaves, Anna Velasquez. Likely of African descent, Martin inherited his mother’s darker complexion, which displeased his father, leading to his abandonment of the family. Raised in poverty, Martin displayed remarkable generosity even as a child, often giving away what little his family had to those in need. By the age of 10, he was deeply dedicated to prayer.

05:00

✂️ Training as a Barber and Developing Medical Skills

At age 12, Martin began an apprenticeship with a barber-surgeon, a profession that involved not only cutting hair but also administering medical treatments. He quickly excelled in this trade despite facing skepticism due to his mixed race. By 15, Martin decided to devote his life to religion and joined the Dominican Order in Lima, initially as a lay helper since racial restrictions barred him from full membership. He was assigned menial tasks such as cleaning and cooking, yet his medical skills were soon recognized, and he was put in charge of the infirmary.

🛠 Martin's Perseverance and Racial Challenges

Martin faced racial prejudice within the Dominican Order, where he was often ridiculed for his heritage. He maintained humility and handled pranks, such as lifting hot pots without injury. Martin embraced menial tasks and often quoted Psalm 83 to explain his preference for simple duties. He also confronted racial inequalities, such as when he challenged a brother for treating an Indigenous man unfairly. His firm but gentle nature helped reshape attitudes within the monastery.

🐀 The Legend of Martin's Compassion for Animals

Known for his healing abilities, Martin gained a reputation as both a surgeon and a man of prayer. One notable story involved his compassion for rats, whom he convinced to stop annoying the prior in exchange for regular food. Martin was said to possess the gift of bilocation, appearing in distant places like Mexico and Japan without leaving Lima. He also tended to sick animals with the same care as humans, showcasing his boundless empathy.

🙏 A Life of Charity, Prayer, and Social Justice

As a lay brother in charge of the infirmary, Martin dedicated himself to extreme fasting, prayer, and self-denial, often spending nights in vigil. His charity extended to the poor and marginalized, including founding an orphanage and school for children of all classes. He helped provide dowries for poor women to marry and continued to care for the sick until his death. Martin’s unwavering commitment to social justice earned him the title of patron saint of social justice.

✨ Saint Martin's Legacy and Miracles

Saint Martin de Porres passed away on November 3, 1639, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, healing, and miracles. His body was found incorrupt 25 years after his death, and miracles attributed to him continued to be reported. His humility, charity, and spiritual practices, including his intense connection with God, solidified his place in history. Martin was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 5, 1962, in recognition of his life of service and extraordinary virtue.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Saint Martin de Porres

Saint Martin de Porres is the central figure of the video, born in Lima, Peru, in 1519. He is notable for his mixed race, charity, and healing abilities. The video highlights his life of devotion, his humility in performing menial tasks, and his miraculous acts of kindness and healing. He is known for his deep spiritual life and is the patron saint of social justice.

💡Lima, Peru

Lima is the birthplace of Saint Martin de Porres and the setting for most of his life. The city is essential in understanding the context of his upbringing in poverty, racial discrimination, and his eventual rise to sainthood within the Dominican Order. Lima was also home to the convent where Martin practiced his religious devotion and worked in the infirmary.

💡Racial discrimination

Racial discrimination is a recurring theme in the video, as Saint Martin was of mixed race, being of Spanish and African or Indigenous descent. Despite facing ridicule and societal barriers due to his race, Martin responded with humility and charity, challenging racial attitudes within his community. His experiences reflect the broader social and racial issues of 16th-century Peru.

💡Dominican Order

The Dominican Order is the religious community that Saint Martin de Porres joined. Due to racial restrictions, he initially joined as a lay helper, performing menial tasks. Over time, his skills as a healer and his deep spirituality earned him respect, and he became a prominent figure in the order, known for his service in the infirmary and his charitable works.

💡Healing

Healing is one of Saint Martin's most notable gifts, both physically and spiritually. He used his medical skills, which he learned as a barber-surgeon, to treat the sick and injured in his community. His healing abilities were often attributed to both his medical knowledge and his prayers, with miraculous recoveries being reported, such as healing a priest's infected leg.

💡Charity

Charity is a defining characteristic of Saint Martin de Porres, as he dedicated his life to serving the poor and the marginalized. He fed, sheltered, and doctored countless people, regardless of their social status. His acts of charity extended beyond humans, as he even showed kindness to animals, such as his famous negotiation with rats to keep them from disturbing the monastery.

💡Bilocation

Bilocation is one of the miraculous phenomena attributed to Saint Martin, where he was reported to be seen in different places at the same time, including faraway countries like Mexico and Japan. Despite never leaving Lima, people claimed to have seen him in these distant places, performing acts of charity and healing, showcasing his supernatural connection with the divine.

💡Poverty

Poverty shaped Saint Martin's early life, as he was raised by his mother in extreme hardship after being abandoned by his father. This experience of poverty deeply influenced his later life of humility and generosity. Despite his own limited resources, he constantly gave to those less fortunate, a theme that runs throughout his story as an example of his selflessness.

💡Social justice

Social justice is central to Saint Martin's legacy. He is known as the patron saint of social justice for his efforts to serve and uplift marginalized people, regardless of race or social class. His life challenges societal norms of his time, as he confronted racial prejudice and worked to provide opportunities for the poor, including founding an orphanage and school.

💡Miracles

Miracles are frequently associated with Saint Martin de Porres, both during his life and after his death. He is said to have performed numerous miraculous healings, saved lives through prayer, and exhibited extraordinary phenomena such as bilocation and levitation. These miracles solidified his status as a saint, and many were invoked in support of his canonization by the Catholic Church.

Highlights

Saint Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, on December 9, 1519, to Don Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman, and Anna Velasquez, a freed daughter of slaves.

Despite being abandoned by his father at a young age, Martin's generosity and kindness were evident even in childhood, as he gave family resources to beggars.

By age 10, Martin spent several hours each day in prayer, a habit he maintained throughout his life.

At the age of 12, Martin began an apprenticeship with a barber, gaining skills in medicine, wound care, and bloodletting.

Despite facing ridicule due to his mixed race, Martin’s skills as a healer earned him a strong reputation.

At age 15, Martin joined the Dominican ministry as a lay helper due to racial restrictions but was allowed to wear the religious habit.

Martin served in the monastery infirmary and performed menial tasks like cooking, cleaning, and laundry, but he was known for his humility and devotion.

He often challenged racial prejudices, such as when he pointed out the unequal treatment of Indigenous people versus white people in the monastery.

Martin became renowned for his medical skills, healing severe diseases and injuries through both his knowledge and prayer.

The legend of the rats is one of Martin's well-known stories, where he negotiated with the rats to leave the monastery in exchange for daily food.

Martin was believed to have the gift of bilocation, appearing in places like Mexico and Japan, despite never leaving Lima.

He was also known to pass through locked doors and soothe the sick even when unable to completely heal them.

His charity extended to animals, as he treated sick animals with the same care as humans.

Martin founded an orphanage and school of the Holy Cross, providing education and skills training to children of all classes.

He was canonized on May 5, 1962, by Pope John XXIII, recognized for his charity, humility, and devotion to social justice.