Tonya asked for St. Martin de Porres and I almost declined because I thought I did his profile last year - but that was Martin of Tours (understandable confusion).
St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in the mid-1500s. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a free woman of color, exposing him to life-long discrimination both for being mixed race and for his birth status. He became a lay brother at the Dominican Friary at the age of 15, but his African heritage kept him in a status of near servant hood. He tasks at the Friary included barber, farm laborer, almoner, and infirmarian among other things. He accepted his status with humility and made a martyr out of his body, devoting himself to ceaseless and severe penances. In turn, God endowed him with many graces and wondrous gifts, such as, aerial flights and bilocation. (I think bilocation is one of the coolest gifts a saint can have.)
St. Martin's love was all-embracing, shown equally to humans and to animals, including vermin, and he maintained a cats and dogs hospital at his sister's house. He was also a good friend of another favorite saint of many of you, Rose of Lima. He is the patron saint against racial discrimination. His feast day is November 3.
Once again, I would like to note my sources: This Saint's for You by T. Craughwell and Catholic.org.
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