St. Martin de Porres - November 3

The Feast of St. Martin de Porres is On November 3.

May I suggest two picture books to bring simple smiles to the day?

Saint Martin de Porres and the Mice & The Pied Piper of Peru.

I found a recipe over @ Catholic Cuisine that I would like to pass along. Please visit the website - you will enjoy it, I'm sure!
I understand that this recipe was inspired by Let's Eat! Recipes for Every Meal... All you add is fun!



If you'd like to make these MICE CUPCAKES, here is the ingredient list:

1 package Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make cupcakes)
Vanilla Frosting
Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Candy-Coated Chocolate Pieces (ie: M&M's)
Chocolate Kisses
Shoestring Licorice

Directions:
Bake cupcakes according to directions on box.
Spread the tops of the cupcakes with frosting.

To make each mouse, put 2 vanilla wafer cookies for the "ears," 2 candy-coated chocolate pieces for the "eyes," 1 chocolate kiss for the the "nose," and pieces of shoestring licorice for the "whiskers."
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St. Martin de Porres was born at Lima, Peru, in 1579. He was the illegitimate child of a Spanish gentleman and a coloured freed-woman from Panama. He grew up in poverty.At age 11 he became a servant in the Dominican priory. At fifteen, he became a lay brother at the Dominican Friary at Lima and spent his whole life there-as a barber, farm laborer, almoner, and infirmarian among other things.

He was put in charge of the Dominican's infirmary; and was known for his care of the sick and for his spectacular cures. His superiors dropped the stipulation that "no black person may be received to the holy habit or profession of our order." De Porres also took vows as a Dominican brother; established an orphanage and children's hospital for the poor children of the areas slums. He even set up a shelter for the stray cats and dogs and nursed them back to health. Martin de Porres lived in self-imposed austerity, never ate meat, fasted continuously, and spent much time in prayer and meditation.

Martin had a great desire to go off to some foreign mission and thus earn the palm of martyrdom. However, since this was not possible, he 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.

When an epidemic struck Lima, there were in this single Convent of the Rosary sixty religious who were sick, many of them novices in a distant and locked section of the convent, separated from the professed. Saint Martin is said to have passed through the locked doors to care for them, a phenomenon which was reported in the residence more than once. The professed, too, saw him suddenly beside them without the doors having been opened; and these facts were duly verified by the surprised superiors.

As stated before, this lay brother had always wanted to be a missionary, but never left his native city; yet even during his lifetime he was seen elsewhere, in regions as far distant as Africa, China, Algeria, and Japan.

• An African slave who had been in irons said he had known Martin when he came to relieve and console many like himself, telling them of heaven. When later the same slave saw him in Peru, he was very happy to meet him again and asked him if he had had a good voyage; only later did he learn that Saint Martin had never left Lima.
• A merchant from Lima was in Mexico and fell ill; he said aloud: “Oh, Brother Martin, if only you were here to care for me!” and immediately saw him enter his room. And again, this man did not know until later that he had never been in Mexico.

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 also possessed spiritual wisdom, resolving theological problems for the learned of his Order and for bishops. A close friend of St. Rose of Lima, this saintly man died on November 3, 1639 and was canonized on May 6, 1962. His feast day is November 3.

Prayer to Saint Martin de Porres

To you Saint Martin de Porres we prayerfully lift up our hearts filled with serene confidence and devotion. Mindful of your unbounded and helpful charity to all levels of society and also of your meekness and humility of heart, we offer our petitions to you. Pour out upon our families the precious gifts of your solicitous and generous intercession; show to the people of every race and every color the paths of unity and of justice; implore from our Father in heaven the coming of his kingdom, so that through mutual benevolence in God men may increase the fruits of grace and merit the rewards of eternal life. Amen.

Want to do more reading?
St. Martin de Porres website and image

"St. Martin de Porres, the first black saint in the Americas!" African American Registry
Prayer for the intercession of St. Martin de Porres
St. Martin de Porres Shrine & Institute • Memphis, Tennessee

& Are We There Yet has a wonderful post about this Saint!