The sons of St. Dominic (the Dominicans) were the first to preach the Gospel in the South American land of the Incas. They had shared the perils of the Peruvian adventure with Pizarro. In fact, the Dominicans were in the same boat as Pizarro as they sailed south through the Pacific. Missionaries of many other orders followed them: Franciscans, Augustinians, Mercedarians, Jesuits. But Divine Providence reserved for the Dominicans the finest fruits of the seed of the Gospel sown in Peru. This is the story of one of the Dominicans’ most famous miracle workers: Saint Martin de Porres.

Martin was born shortly after the founding of Lima and entered the Dominican Order at the young age of 15. There he spent the remainder of his 60 years in complete dedication to his order and the cause of the poor, sick and neglected of Lima. Meanwhile, he was ascending to the highest levels of sanctity and humility. The appeal of St. Martin de Porres is universal.

St. Martin was a close friend of St. Rose of Lima. Many great anecdotes tell how he raised the dead, multiplied food, cured the sick, healed wounded animals, visited those in need through bilocation and performed extreme penances. He gained the names of Apostle of Charity, Patron of Social Justice, Father of the Sick and Poor, and Helper in Hopeless Cases. St. Martin is indeed a powerful intercessor to those in need.

St. Martin de Porres: Apostle of Charity was written in 1957 at the request of the Postulation of the Dominican Order at Santa Sabina, Rome. Following the canonization of St. Martin in 1963, the author added new material especially for the English translation to make it as definitive as possible. The efforts of Giuliana Cavallini met with such praise and satisfaction that Most Reverend Aniceto Fernandez, O.P., selected this book as an official biography of St. Martin de Porres.