Saint Martin of Porres & President-elect Barack Obama: Our Racial Harmonizers

Saint Martin of Porres & President-elect Barack Obama

Our Racial Harmonizers

Saint Martin of Porres was born to parents of different races. His complexion favored his dark skinned mother, leading his father to abandon him. Martin found work as a hair stylist, but it was soon discovered he possessed great healing qualities. The rich and poor, and all those in-between flocked to him, and he quickly became a Dominican Lay Brother. He was a universal caregiver, ministering to all people, including African slaves who were brought into his homeland of Peru. Martin’s love was all-embracing; he had a great love for animals, even the rats who scurried around his home. Martin lamented that the vermin had too little to eat! Like Saint Francis of Assisi, he seemed to be able to converse with animals and he founded one of the first animal shelters. Martin is also said to have been “bi-coastal,” which meant he could be in two places at one time, quite an extraordinary feat. Equally extraordinary was his reported ability to fly. Martin was very humble; he referred to himself as “mulatto dog,” long before President-elect Barak Obama recently humbly referred to dogs as “mutts like me.” Like Barack Obama, he was respected by his peers and followers who affectionately referred to him as “Father of Charity.” He was canonized on May 6, 1962, when Barack Obabma was nearly 10 months old. Both med are revered as racial harmonizers. Pray to Saint Martin of Porres for the elimination of all forms of prejudice and ask him to gently guide our new president-elect, as he faces the momentous tasks ahead.