St. Martin de Porres was born and spent his life in Peru in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Martin's father was a Spanish nobleman, and his mother was freed slave.  His father abandoned the family when Martin was young, and Martin grew up in poverty.  Despite this, St. Martin lived a prayerful life.

St. Martin sought to join a religious order; however, in Peru at the time, the law did not allow the descendants of slaves to become members of orders.  As a result, St. Martin became a volunteer for the Dominicans of the Holy Rosary Priory in Lima.  It wasn't until 8 years later that St. Martin was received into the order as a lay brother when prior Juan de Lorenzana decided to ignore Peruvian law.

During his time with the Dominicans, Martin had various jobs and responsibilities including distributing money to the poor and founding an orphanage.  However, St. Martin is probably most well-known for his work in the infirmary.  He was noted for immense care for the sick regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.  St. Martin died in 1639 after being sick for almost a year.

St. Martin was canonized as a saint by Pope John XXIII in 1962.