St. Martin de Porres Prayer and Novena (Feast November 3)

St. Martin de Porres (1579–1639), a Dominican lay brother of Lima, Peru, spent his life caring for the sick, the poor and even stray animals, and is loved around the world as the saint of charity. The son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed Black woman, he was looked down on for his mixed race, yet became one of the most trusted and beloved men in Lima. Catholics pray to him for healing, for the poor, for justice and racial harmony, and for their pets. Below are prayers to St. Martin de Porres for each of these needs, a nine-day novena, Scripture that shaped his life, and his remarkable story.

A prayer to St. Martin de Porres

Written for this page:

St. Martin de Porres, humble servant of God,
you saw Christ in every poor and suffering person
and served them with tenderness and joy.
Look kindly on me and on all who ask your help.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention),
if it is God’s will and for the good of my soul.
Teach me to love without counting the cost,
to work without seeking praise,
and to trust God in everything. Amen.

A prayer to St. Martin de Porres for healing

Martin trained as a barber-surgeon and became the infirmarian of his friary, and the sick of Lima came to him for care. A prayer for someone who is ill:

St. Martin de Porres, you nursed the sick with skill and compassion,
and many were healed through your prayers.
I place before you (name), who is suffering from (illness).
Ask Jesus, the divine Physician, to restore him (her) to health,
to guide the hands of the doctors and nurses,
and to give courage and peace to the whole family.
And if healing is not God’s will, obtain for us the grace to accept it in faith. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See also the Catholic prayer for healing and prayers for the sick.

A prayer for racial harmony and justice

Martin knew the sting of prejudice: as a man of mixed race he was at first allowed into the Dominican friary only as a servant. He answered contempt with charity, and today he is the patron of social justice and of people of mixed race.

St. Martin de Porres, you were despised for the color of your skin,
yet you returned love for every insult.
Pray for an end to racism and every kind of prejudice.
Help us to see each person as a child of God,
to defend the dignity of the poor and the forgotten,
and to build a world of justice, peace and friendship. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. St. Paul’s words sum up Martin’s life:

For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

A prayer for animals and pets

Many stories are told of Martin’s gentleness with animals: he cared for injured dogs and cats, and his friars said that even the mice of the friary obeyed him.

St. Martin de Porres, friend of all God’s creatures,
watch over my pet (name) and keep him (her) safe and well.
Help me to care for the animals in my care with kindness,
and to praise God for the beauty of his creation. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See the patron saint of animals.

A prayer for the poor

St. Martin, you begged alms for the poor and fed hundreds at the friary door.
Open my heart and my hands to those in need.
Help me to share what I have, to give in secret,
and to treat every person with respect. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See the works of mercy.

Novena to St. Martin de Porres

To finish the novena on the eve of his feast, begin on October 25 and end on November 2; for 2026, that is Sunday, October 25, to Monday, November 2, with the feast on Tuesday, November 3. The novena may also be prayed at any time of need.

Each day, make the Sign of the Cross, name your intention, pray the prayer to St. Martin above, reflect on the day’s theme, and end with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.

Humility. Martin thought of himself as the least of the brothers and chose the lowest tasks. Pray for a humble heart.
Charity to the sick. Pray for the sick, the dying and all who care for them.
The poor. Pray for the hungry and the homeless, and for the grace to share.
Justice. Pray for an end to racism, prejudice and every injustice.
Obedience. Martin offered to be sold as a slave to pay his friary’s debts. Pray for a generous spirit.
Prayer. Martin spent his nights before the crucifix. Pray for a deeper life of prayer.
The Eucharist. Pray for a greater love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Creation. Pray for respect for all God’s creatures and for those who care for animals.
Friendship with the saints. Martin was a friend of St. Rose of Lima. Pray for holy friendships and for your family.

Scripture for St. Martin de Porres

I will shew thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee: Verily, to do judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk solicitous with thy God.

Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?
And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?
Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?
And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

The life of St. Martin de Porres

Martin was born in Lima, then the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty of Peru, on December 9, 1579. His father, Juan de Porres, was a Spanish nobleman; his mother, Ana Velázquez, was a freed woman of African descent. His father at first did not acknowledge him, and Martin grew up poor with his mother and younger sister, Juana.

As a boy he was apprenticed to a barber-surgeon, who in those days also set bones, treated wounds and prepared medicines. At about fifteen he asked to join the Dominican Convent of the Holy Rosary in Lima. The rules of the time kept men of African or Indigenous descent from becoming full members, so he was received as a lay helper. His holiness was so evident that the community later admitted him to vows as a lay brother.

For the rest of his life Martin was the friary’s barber, infirmarian, gardener and almoner. He nursed sick friars and the sick of the city, fed the poor at the door and is credited with helping to found a home for orphans and abandoned children in Lima. He is often shown with a broom, a sign of his love for the humblest work. His contemporaries told of extraordinary gifts: healings, knowledge of distant events, and being seen in places far from Lima. He was a friend of St. Rose of Lima and of the Dominican lay brother St. John Macías.

Martin died in Lima on November 3, 1639, mourned by the whole city. He was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 and canonized by Pope St. John XXIII on May 6, 1962. He is often called the first saint of African descent from the Americas.

Feast day and patronage

Feast day: November 3.
Patron of: people of mixed race, social justice and racial harmony, barbers and hairdressers, public health workers, the poor and animal lovers.
Symbols: the Dominican habit, a broom, a crucifix, and a dog, cat and mouse eating from one dish.

Frequently asked questions

Was St. Martin de Porres a priest?

No. He was a Dominican lay brother, a professed religious who was not ordained. He spent his life serving in the friary, the infirmary and the streets of Lima.

Why is St. Martin de Porres shown with a broom?

Because he gladly did the humblest work of the friary, especially sweeping. In Latin America he is affectionately called “San Martín de la Escoba,” St. Martin of the Broom.

What is St. Martin de Porres the patron saint of?

Of people of mixed race, social justice and racial harmony, barbers and hairdressers, public health workers and the poor.

When was St. Martin de Porres canonized?

On May 6, 1962, by Pope St. John XXIII.

More prayers to the saints

Texts and sources

Scripture: Galatians 3:27–28; Micheas (Micah) 6:8; Matthew 25:34–40, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayers and novena themes were written for this page.