SAINT MARTIN’S VILLAGE

The first subdivision in Lexington, Kentucky dedicated for African American families.  Established in 1955, it is located in the “west end” of Lexington, off Price Road, adjacent to Georgetown Road. Constructed upon what once was the farmland of Joseph Fister, by the construction company of Fister/Seeberger/Tuttle.  Most of the streets within the neighborhood were named for Saint Martin or his home in Peru.  Some streets were named for the family members of the builder, such as Erie, Lucy, Effie, and Don Anna.

Check out this article by Tom Eblen of the Herald-Leader for more history of our community. The article can also be seen and referenced other sites such as McClatchy DC.

Life of St Martin de Porres

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, on December 9, 1579, to Don Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman and adventurer, and Ana Velasquez, a freed daughter of slaves from Panama. His father abandoned the family when Martin and his sister, Juana, were very young. Ana Velasquez supported her children by taking in laundry.

Martin’s childhood poverty did not embitter him but made him sensitive to the plight of the poor, and especially the orphans to whom he would devote much of his time and resources. Even as a child, Martin would give the family’s scarce resources to the beggars whom he saw as less fortunate than himself.

When Martin turned eight, his father had a change of heart and decided to claim his two children (publicly identified as mulatto, a term used for mixed-race children) despite the gossip to which it subjected him. He made sure that both were afforded a good education and had enough money for the family not to suffer hardship. At the age of twelve, Martin began an apprenticeship with a barber/surgeon named Marcel de Rivero. He proved extremely skillful at this trade and soon customers, who at first were skeptical of the young colored boy, came to prefer and ask for him.

Leaving Home and joining the Dominican Order

After leaving home, Martin took a room in the house of Ventura de Luna. Always a devoted Catholic who spent much time in church, Martin begged his landlady for some candle stubs. She was curious about his activities and one night spied on him through a keyhole and witnessed Martin in a vigil of ecstatic prayer — a practice he would continue throughout his life.

Encountering Prejudice

Martin often challenged his brothers on their racial attitudes. In one story, Martin came upon a group of Indians sweeping the floor under the watchful eye of one of the Dominican brothers. When told that they were cleaning to repay a meal they had received, Martin pointed out that the brother had fed some white people the previous day without forcing them to clean. After Martin’s firm but gentle challenge, the brother took up the broom himself.

Martin frequently insisted on performing such hard and menial tasks as caring for the Order’s horses in the evenings, even when informed that servants were available for these chores. He would argue that the servants were tired from their day’s work while he, Martin, had done very little. He also extended his healing gifts — going to the servants’ quarters and treating their ailments.

Care & Healing

Martin’s spiritual practices were legendary. He would often fast for extensive periods on bread and water. He loved all-night vigils, frequently praying by lying down as if crucified, sometimes kneeling but, miraculously, a foot or more off the floor. Equally legendary was his love of animals. He would feed and heal all animals that came into his vicinity and they understood and obeyed him. St. Martin is often portrayed with mice because, according to one story, the monastery was tired of their rodent problems and decided to set traps. Martin was so distressed that he spoke to the mice and cut a deal with them that if they would leave the monastery, he would feed them at the back door of the kitchen. From that day forward, no mouse was seen in the monastery.

However, it is St. Martin’s charity that made him the patron saint of social justice. Martin fed, sheltered, and doctored hundreds of families. He also provided the requisite dowry of 4,000 pesos to enable at least 27 poor young women to marry. Last, but not least, he 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. Over much criticism, he insisted that the school staff be well-paid so that they would give their best service. St. Martin died on November 3rd, 1639. He died surrounded by his brothers and reciting the Credo, his life ending with the words “et homo factus est”.

His funeral was attended by thousands of Peruvians from all walks of life who vied to get a piece of St. Martin’s habit as a relic. These pieces of the saint’s habit have been associated with innumerable miraculous cures.

He levitated and bilocated

Martin was deeply prayerful, so much so that many of the brothers witnessed him levitating in intense prayer and embracing the crucified Cross. Martin reportedly also had the gift of bilocation, and some of his contemporaries said they encountered him in places as far off as Japan even as he remained in Lima. Some claimed he had appeared to them supernaturally behind locked doors or under otherwise impossible circumstances.

He refused to eat meat

Martin loved animals. He refused to eat meat and ran a veterinary hospital for sick animals that seemed to seek out his help. Portrayals of the saint often include cats, dogs, and even the rats to whom he showed compassion.

He is the patron saint of multiple manual labor occupations. 

Martin was known for the various assignments he carried out which earned him the title of patron saint of barbers, the sick, and street cleaners. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of many causes, including mixed-race people, black people, and race relations. He is a great saint to seek prayers from if you are black or of mixed-racial descent. You can also ask him to pray for an increased understanding, peace, and justice in matters of race relations.  On the 50th anniversary of St. Martin de Porres’ canonization, Father Juan Anguerri, director of the St. Martin de Porres Home for the Poor, said, “These are often thankless tasks, but yet through his humble service, St. Martin sent a message to revitalize these jobs.”

He was canonized more than 300 years after his death. 

Martin de Porres died on Nov. 3, 1639 at age 60. He was canonized by Pope St. John XXIII on May 16, 1962. At his canonization Mass, St. John XXIII called him “Martin of Charity.”

St Martin de Porres is buried in the Convento Santo Domingo in Lima, Peru.