St. Martin de Porres Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Martin de Porres was a Dominican lay brother. He lived in the 1500s-1600s in Peru. He was well-known for his work among the poor and his penitential lifestyle. He also became known for bringing about miracles during his lifetime.
You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy Dominican in your life!
About St. Martin de Porres
St. Martin de Porres was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru. His father was a Spanish nobleman, and his mother was a freed slave of African and Native American descent. His parents were not married, and his father abandoned them shortly after the birth of Martin’s younger sister.
Martin’s mother supported her children by taking in laundry. He grew up in poverty. Eventually, his mother could not afford to support him. She sent him to a primary school, and after two years he became apprenticed to a barber/surgeon.
As Martin learned the art of medicine, he grew in piety. He often spent hours in prayer each night. Martin began to desire to enter religious life, but Peruvian law prohibited individuals of African or Native American descent from becoming full members of religious orders.
When Martin was fifteen years old, he asked for admission to a Dominican monastery in Lima as a donado, a servant who was allowed to wear the habit and live with the order.
As Martin performed tasks like laundry, kitchen work, and cleaning, he also made use of his training to provide barbering and healing. He began to bring about some miraculous cures during this time.
After Martin had been in the monastery for eight years, the prior decided to ignore the laws prohibiting Martin’s entry to the order and allowed Martin to take vows. Martin was twenty-four years old when he professed vows of the Third Order of St. Dominic.
Some of the other men in Martin’s monastery did not accept the superior’s decision to allow Martin into the order. One of them referred to him as a “mulatto dog.” Another mocked him for being illiterate, and for being a descendant of slaves.
Martin had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. One night when he was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the chapel caught fire around him. He was so deeply absorbed in prayer that he did not notice the commotion as the fire was put out.
When Martin was 34, he was assigned to work in the infirmary. His superiors placed him in this assignment because they recognized that he possessed the deep patience necessary for the difficulties of this role.
During his time working in the infirmary, Martin brought about many miraculous cures. He cared for both nobility and slaves with the same level of love and compassion.
Martin lived a life of great mortification and was well-known for his works of mercy. He often fed more than a hundred poor people in a single day, and he distributed a great amount of money to the poor. He also established a home for orphans in Lima.
During his life, Martin was also said to have bilocated and levitated. He died when he was fifty-nine years old.
St. Martin de Porres’ Feast Day: November 3rd
Why Pray the St. Martin de Porres Novena?
St. 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.
Additionally, St. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of hair stylists, innkeepers, public education, public health, and television. You can definitely ask for his intercession if you work in one of these fields, or you can ask him to pray for someone you know who works in one of these fields.
You can pray the St. Martin de Porres Novena for any intention!
St. Martin de Porres Novena Prayers
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed beginning from his childhood and adolescence in poverty.
St. Martin de Porres, you and your family were very poor during your childhood and adolescence. Though you and your family suffered from poverty, you were eager to grow in love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved!
Your mother was barely able to support you and your sister. You had to begin work as a barber and surgeon from a young age, but you persevered in seeking God’s will for your life.
Pray for me, that I may never allow sufferings to deter me from serving God. Pray that I may eagerly seek His will for my life, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed as he worked diligently for his own support from an early age.
St. Martin de Porres, you began to learn the trade of barbering and surgery from an early age because your mother was no longer able to support you. Despite how difficult this must have been, you continued serving God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Later when you were living in the monastery, you did not shirk from performing whatever work you were given. Even in the midst of unpleasant tasks, you continued to lovingly serve God.
Pray for me, that I may always perform my own work with virtue. Pray that I may seek every opportunity to serve God in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed in responding to Your call to the religious life.
St. Martin de Porres, you grew in piety as a young man. You felt called to religious life, and you looked for a way to answer that call despite the unjust laws preventing your entry to an order.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you longed to serve!
Rather than ignore the call to religious life in the face of great difficulty, you instead chose to enter the monastery as a servant. You then did all you could to serve God with great devotion for the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to carry out God’s call in my life. Pray that I may never allow difficulties to deter me from serving God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed by staying firm in his quest to follow Your call in his life despite the obstacles of racial discrimination.
St. Martin de Porres, you desired to serve God in the religious life as a young man. Even though unjust laws prevented you from entering the monastery, you persevered in seeking a way to follow God’s call.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
During your time in the monastery, you suffered mockery from some others on account of your race. Despite this, you held fast to the path of virtue and holiness.
Pray for me, that I may never waver in my faithfulness to God. Pray that I may never allow any sufferings or injustices to deter me from remaining faithful.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his deep faith that allowed You to work many miracles through him.
St. Martin de Porres, you spent a lot of your time in the monastery tending to the sick in the infirmary. While you were tending the sick, God began to work miraculous healings through you.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
During your life, you also bilocated and levitated. Your deep faith became evident to all through these extraordinary signs God worked through you.
Pray for me, that I may grow to a deeper faith in my life each day. Pray that I may never waver in my desire to serve God wholly.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed in his deep devotion to the Eucharist.
St. Martin de Porres, you grew in virtue and love for God during your time in the monastery. You became particularly devoted to the Eucharist as you continued seeking to serve God.
Please continue to bring my petitions before God!
You had such a deep love for the Body and Blood of Christ that one on occasion you did not notice a fire around you while you prayed, enraptured before the Blessed Sacrament.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my love for the Eucharist each day. Pray that I may grow in appreciation for the great gift that the Eucharist is to us.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue he showed through his devoted care for the sick.
St. Martin de Porres, your superiors placed you in the assignment to care for the sick in the infirmary because they recognized your virtue. As you cared for the sick, you relied heavily on the grace of this virtue in order to care for the sick out of deep love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you loved so deeply!
While you worked in the infirmary, you faithfully cared for all your patients with deep love and compassion.
Pray for me, that I may strive to do all my work with virtue and out of love for God. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to serve God through service to those in need.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You he showed through his constant care for those in need.
St. Martin de Porres, you were raised in poverty yourself and must have known how important it is for us all to assist those in need. Throughout your time in the monastery, you faithfully sought to do all you could to assist those in need.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God with such faithfulness!
You fed hundreds of people, distributed a great amount of money to the poor, and established a home for orphans. You did all these works out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to assist those in need, out of love for God. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to serve God through acts of charity towards those in need.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Martin de Porres Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Martin de Porres as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You he showed through his lifetime of service to You and Your Church.
St. Martin de Porres, you eagerly desired to serve God in the religious life when you were a young man. Even though the path to this vocation was difficult, you persevered out of love for God.
Please persevere in bringing my petitions before God!
While in the monastery, you faithfully devoted yourself to serving God through prayer, penance, and acts of charity. You never wavered in your commitment to God and His Church.
Pray for me, that I may serve God as faithfully in my life as you did. Pray that I may never waver in my commitment to God and His Church.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.