ST. MARTIN DE PORRES, OP
Cooperator-Brother
Patron of Social Justice and Interracial Relations
Patron of the Sick and the Poor
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Biography
Imagine a social worker’s case that goes something like this: two mixed race children are
abandoned by their father. The children’s food and clothing are inadequate. The older child, a boy,
is made to go out and do the shopping and the household chores. The mother, distraught with grief
at being abandoned, subjects the boy in particular to verbal and physical abuse, telling him that he
is responsible for his father’s leaving. Yet the child is found to be sweet-natured, intelligent and
obliging, tirelessly eager to please the mother who seems not to want him. What would you make
of the situation?
The case just described is not from the twenty-first century but from the seventeenth. The boy just
described, whose heroic charity was evident from the time he was young, grew up to become one
of the Dominican Order’s most beloved saints: Martin de Porres.
Martin was eventually able to leave behind the greatest cross of his childhood when his father, a
Spanish nobleman serving as a provincial official in Peru, finally acknowledged his dark skinned
twelve year old son as legitimate and apprenticed Martin to a barber surgeon. Martin quickly
acquired a following of patrons due to his charity and his skill in medical care.
However, after several years, Martin discerned Jesus calling him to enter the Dominicans in Lima.
He shared two strong devotions dear to the Order and its saints: devotion to the Rosary and to the
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and a powerful love of the Eucharist. Martin did not aspire to be
a preaching friar, nor even a lay brother, but asked for the lowest position in the convent as a
“helping” brother. After nine years and significant contributions to the community, he would go
on to make solemn vows as a lay brother.
Martin was put to work doing menial chores, work that he welcomed and never complained of
doing. On the contrary, he regarded his chores as if they were the highest honors. The community
also used Martin’s previous training as a barber and a surgeon, eventually assigning him to the
infirmary due to his remarkable expertise in healing. Stories abound of his cures: of his coaxing a
sick friar’s appetite by miraculously producing out-of-season fruit, and of life-threatening fevers
and infections instantly abating at the mere touch of Martin’s hand. It is said that he knew ahead
of time whether a friar would recuperate or die.
St. Martin could well be called the “St. Francis of Assisi” of the Dominican Order for his love of
animals. The story of his relocation of a large number of destructive mice, while incredible, is
regarded as true. Recognizing the havoc the rodents were causing, Martin was seen escorting an
orderly line-up of several hundred mice out of the convent and into the garden where they were
promised a daily feeding by their kindhearted benefactor.
1
Perhaps with his own childhood in mind, Martin had a great love for street urchins, orphans and
unwanted babies in Lima. It became known that Martin would accept unwanted children born out
of wedlock. At first he placed them with his sister Juana, but numbers grew so great that a separate
home became necessary. By his own efforts, Martin built the Orphanage of the Holy Cross from
the ground up. The orphanage still exists in Lima today as the Colegio de Santa Cruz.
Martin literally lived the Last Will and Testament of St. Dominic: “Have charity, guard humility,
make your treasure out of voluntary poverty.” His love of poverty was unaffected; he had been
poor all his life, and would have nothing to do with what he considered “luxuries.” Martin wore
the most ancient habit in the convent, yet never allowed it to look shabby. He preferred old shoes
to new ones.
Martin died a holy death surrounded by the friars of the Holy Rosary Convent chanting the Salve
Regina. His symptoms were the same as those that defined St. Dominic’s last moments. In fact,
toward the end, when asked, Martin indicated that his holy father was actually present, along with
St. Vincent Ferrer.
When Martin was canonized in 1962 by St. John XXIII, the Pope observed in the canonization
ceremony, “Martin was not an academic but possessed ‘the true science that ennobles the spirit,’
the ‘light of discretion’ of which St. Catherine of Siena speaks.” Guy Bedouelle adds that “the
Church... has need of authentic intellectuals [but] looks first for holiness of attitude, the fruit of
humility.” St. Martin preached Christ through his charity, humility and poverty. He stands as a
holy reminder that, in a religious order known for glorifying God by intellectual achievement, “the
greatest of these is love.”1
B. Religious Devotion Celebrated in Stories
1. Vocation as Cooperator- Brother
When Martín was 24, in 1603, he gave the profession of faith that allowed him to become a
Dominican brother. He is said to have several times refused this elevation in status, which may
have come about due to his father's intervention, and he never became a priest. As with any other
famous holy man, Martín's life is surrounded by stories, and those stories constitute the primary
means of remembering him at a distance of four centuries. The stories surrounding Martín are of
two kinds. Some consist of testimony about his character and accomplishments by church officials
who knew him, while others seem to be of a more popular character, arising among Lima's
impoverished populace, and coming down to the present time partly via oral tradition.
1
Nashville Dominicans, “St. Martin de Porres,” Nashville Dominicans. Org,
https://www.nashvilledominican.org/community/our-dominican-heritage/our-saints-and-blesseds/st-martin-deporres/ (accessed September 28, 2018)
2
2. Exceptional Piety
Many stories attest to Martín's exceptional piety. He was said sometimes to be surrounded by a
bright light when he prayed, and to be levitated off the floor of a chapel by sheer religious ecstasy.
He subsisted for days on bread and water and would do penance for sins by whipping himself with
chains. Martín was said to be capable of bilocation (being in two places at once), and individuals
from both Africa and Mexico swore that they had encountered him in their home villages even
though he was never known to have left Lima. Patients under his care spoke on several occasions
of his having walked through locked doors in order to render medical help.
3. Miracles and Wonders
Other tales of the miracles and wonders worked by Martín, however, were more specific to his
time and place. He was said to have a supernatural rapport with the natural world. The most famous
single story connected with Martín had to do with a group of mice (or rats) that infested the
monastery's collection of fine linen robes. Martín resisted the plans of the other monks to lay
poison out for the mice. One day he caught a mouse and said (in the rendering of Angela M. Orsini
of San Francisco's Martín de Porres House of Hospitality, one of many institutions and schools in
the United States named after the Peruvian healer), "Little brothers, why are you and your
companions doing so much harm to the things belonging to the sick? Look; I shall not kill you, but
you are to assemble all your friends and lead them to the far end of the garden.
Every day I will bring you food if you leave the wardrobe alone"—whereupon Martín lead a Pied
Piper-like mouse parade toward a small new den. Both the mice and Martín kept their word, and
the closet infestation was solved for good. Martín loved animals of all kinds and seemed to have
unusual skills in communicating with them. He would apply his medical skills to the treatment of
a wounded dog found wandering the streets with the same energy he would devote to a sick human.
Paintings of Martín often depicted him with a mouse, dog, or cat—or sometimes with a broom,
symbolizing his devotion to everyday tasks.2
4. Bilocation Stories
Bilocation is the phenomenon in which a Servant of God is in one place at a given time, and at the
same moment, by a mysterious presence, is in another place a distance away, where impartial
witnesses hear him speak and see him move in a normal fashion. One writer explains: “That
bilocation is physically impossible, that is, contrary to all the conditions of matter at present known
to us, is the practically unanimous teaching of Catholic philosophers in accordance with universal
experience and natural science.”
Numerous instances of bilocation have been so well-documented, witnessed and investigated that
they are accepted facts in the history of the Church and in hagiography. It is understood that the
mystical gift is not given for the convenience of the recipient, but to aid him in helping his fellow
2
“Martin Porres,” Notable Biographies,
http://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Mi-So/Porres-Mart-n.html#ixzz5PrJDfVD5
(accessed September 28, 2018).
3
man or in performing a function some distance away that had been forgotten. Often the recipient
of this gift employs it to attend the dying, to comfort, to instruct and for many other reasons.
St. Martin spent all his religious life at the Monastery of the Holy Rosary in Lima, Peru; yet,
according to reliable witnesses, he was seen at different times in Mexico, China, Japan, Africa, the
Philippine Islands and perhaps even in France.
The accounts of these bilocation are well authenticated, especially that which took place in Mexico
City. A merchant who had resided in Lima and was a good friend of the Saint went on business to
Mexico City, but before leaving he visited his friend to implore his prayers for a safe journey and
success in his business undertakings. Upon his arrival in Mexico he became desperately ill. At the
height of his sufferings he asked, “O my God! Why isn’t my good friend Brother Martin here to
take care of me when I am so desperately ill?” Immediately the Saint was beside him. The sick
man, full of questions about the Saint’s providential arrival, was told, “I just arrived.” After
ministering to the merchant, setting the room in order and prescribing a medicinal draught, the
Saint reassured the merchant that he would soon recover. The saintly Dominican then disappeared
as mysteriously as he had arrived. The merchant promptly returned to health, and hoping to thank
his benefactor, whom he thought was visiting Mexico City, he tried to locate him. He first visited
the Dominican friars at their monastery, but learned that they had not been visited by anyone from
Lima. He went to the residence of the Archbishop of Mexico, but without success. After inquiring
at hostels and inns he learned that no one could give him information about his friend. It was not
until the merchant returned to Lima that he understood what had taken place. After telling his story
to the priests of the Saint’s monastery, he learned that Br. Martin had never left Peru. The merchant
then understood that Martin had not only prayed for the success of his Mexican trip, but had also
extended his promise by supernaturally ministering to his needs.
A native of Peru returned to Peru after spending many years in China and listened with
astonishment as St. Martin conversed with him on the customs of the Chinese Empire. The Saint
also gave him a minute and accurate description of a holy Dominican lay brother of extraordinary
virtue who resided in Manila, whom St. Martin had met in the Philippines in some mysterious way.
The Saint himself alluded to his gift of bilocation when he was tending to a patient who was
suffering agonies from erysipelas. The Saint advised that the blood of a fowl be applied, but the
patient objected, expressing a repugnance to the treatment. The Saint persisted, saying, “I do assure
you it is an efficacious means of relieving your sufferings—for I saw it used successfully in the
hospital at Bayonne, in France.” What is regarded as the most substantiated case of St. Martin de
Porres’ bilocations was vouched for under oath by a man named Francisco de Vega Montoya and
concerns the Saint’s miraculous visits to northern Africa. A man whom Francisco knew well had
been held captive in Barbary. Many times he saw the Saint carrying out his mission of mercy
among the captives: caring for the sick, comforting the afflicted, clothing the naked and
encouraging the prisoners to remain steadfast in their faith. After regaining his liberty the man
travelled to Spain, and after a time journeyed to the city of Lima. One day, while visiting the
monastery of the Dominican friars, he spied Brother Martin. Rushing up to him, he thanked the
Saint for all his acts of kindness in Africa, but the Saint merely motioned for him to be quiet. When
they were alone, the Saint begged the man not to mention his presence in Africa to anyone. The
man later learned from one of the Saint’s companions the supernatural nature of the Saint’s visits.
4
With enthusiasm he went about telling everyone of the supernatural grace afforded the humble lay
brother.3
5. Attributed Miracle Stories
The Paraguay Miracle
Dorothea Caballero Escalante, an 87 year old lady from Paraguay, was given just a few hours to
live. She had severe intestinal blockage and had suffered a heart attack. One of the doctors
attending her who was her grandson went home to make arrangements for her funeral on the
following day.
Meanwhile in Buenos Aires about a 1000 miles away, her daughter and some friends were praying
to Blessed Martin unceasingly. An hour or so after her mother had been given up by the doctors,
her daughter in Buenos Aires attended Benediction in a church near her home and begged Blessed
Martin to cure her mother. Late that night she couldn’t sleep and at 2 a.m. got up to say 15 decades
of the Rosary, asking above all through the intercession of Blessed Martin that her mother would
still be alive by the time she herself could reach her mother’s home in Paraguay.
Arriving in Paraguay, she found an excited household. A miracle had occurred. Her mother had
stopped the terrible vomiting at the time she was praying for her at Benediction in Buenos Aires
and when she was saying her three Rosaries at 2 a.m. in the morning the old lady had suddenly
began to improve. The improvement continued, resulting in a complete recovery so much that, two
or three days later, the 87 year old was up and about as if nothing had happened to her.
The Tenerife Miracle
In 1956 Antonio Cabrera Perez, a young boy of just four and a half was out walking and playing
with his friend. Passing by a house under construction Antonio playfully grabbed from his friend
a bar of soap which the other had in his possession and threw it over one of the unfinished walls
of the house. His friend began to cry loudly and Antonio decided to climb the unfinished wall to
retrieve the bar of soap. However the cement blocks of the wall were only lying loosely on top of
one another and as Antonio climbed over he dislodged one of these blocks which weighed about
60lbs. He tumbled to the ground and the cement block which he had dislodged fell down on him
and crushed his left foot. On hearing the news, his mother immediately telephoned her husband
and they rushed their son to the nearest doctor.
About three hours later the boy was examined in the hospital in Santa Cruz and the parents were
told that the leg would probably have to be amputated. Gangrene had set in and the lesions of
arteries and veins were such that the toes of his left foot had turned black. By the end of the week
the boy had a yellow colour all over and it became clear that an amputation was imperative.
3
“Saints- Bilocation,” Catholic Mystics Blogspot,
http://catholicmystics.blogspot.com/p/bilocation-bilocation-is-phenomenon-in.html
(accessed September 28, 2018).
5
Shortly after the decision to amputate was taken a Spanish friend of the family arrived in Santa
Cruz on business. He was informed of the accident and, on going to the hospital, was shocked at
the boy’s condition and moved at the distress of the boy’s mother. He immediately gave her a relic
card of Blessed Martin on which there was a prayer to the Blessed and a small strip of cloth which
had been touched to the remains of Martin. He had a devotion to Blessed Martin and always carried
the picture and relic in his pocket. Antonio’s mother, as she herself related, ‘passed the picture and
relic over the foot of my boy, leaving the picture between the deadened toes for some time’. Later
she gave the picture to Antonio to kiss and together they said the prayer to Blessed Martin, asking
that the leg should not be amputated and that their boy would bear no marks of the accident.
The sisters in charge of the hospital and visitors also joined in praying.
Within the next two days the leg had regained its natural colour and 23 days later Antonio returned
home with his parents. After three months Antonio was able to wear a shoe and later began to play
football again without the slightest discomfort.”4
C. Minister of the Poor and the Sick
Many other stories of Martín's goodness pertained to his unwavering efforts to help Lima's poor
and ill, often against the wishes of his superiors at the monastery. A sick, aged street person, almost
naked and covered with open sores, was taken by Martín to his own bed at the monastery. A fellow
monk was horrified, but Martín responded (according to the Lives of the Saints reported on the
website of Canada's Monastery of the Magnificat), "Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable
to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a
torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate
would create."
He treated victims of bubonic plague without regard to whether they were white, black, or Native
American. During one plague outbreak he brought a wounded Native American man into the
monastery for treatment even though the Superior administrator of the province had forbidden the
admission of the sick owing to fears of contagion. Given a reprimand for disobedience, Martín
replied (according to the Monastery of the Magnificat site), "Forgive my error, and please instruct
me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity." Martín's
skills as a physician spread his name far and wide, and even the Archbishop of Mexico came to
Lima to seek his services at one point. He was said to have a miraculous ability to know whether
or not a patient would recover. Sometimes he sent sick people (or animals) to the home of his sister
Juana when the monastery's facilities were overwhelmed.
Martín was, in the words of Richard Cardinal Cushing (writing in St. Martín de Porres), "a
precursor of modern social science," and the Convent of the Rosary while he was there "became
the forerunner of the modern medical clinic." To finance all these activities, Martín also became
an early specialist in the art of nonprofit fundraising. Spanish nobles gave him large donations so
that he could continue his work, and one estimate placed his weekly disbursements of funds at the
4
“Miracles of Saint Martin,” St. Martin Magazine, May, 2012.
https://prayers4reparation.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/two-miracles-through-the-intercession-of-st-martin-deporres/ (accessed September 29, 2018).
6
level of $2,000, an astonishing sum for the period. Martín did not devote these funds exclusively
to those in misery, but also tried to level class distinctions. For example, he sometimes provided
money for a poor young woman's dowry so that she could marry. When the monastery's finances
suffered as a result of his activities, Martín responded (according to American Catholic's Saint of
the Day website), "I am only a poor mulatto. Sell me. I am the property of the order. Sell me"5
5
Notable Biographies, http://www.notablebiographies.com/supp/Supplement-Mi-So/Porres-Martn.html#ixzz5PrJDfVD5 (accessed September 28, 2018).
7
II. DEVOTION TO ST. MARTIN DE PORRES
1. CREED
God is compassionate. Sometimes He expressed His compassion by healing man in their illness
either by supernatural ways, or natural ways through science and medicine. Sometimes He cures
diseases. But one thing is certain, He is suffering with us. He is compassionate.
Because of His compassion, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world, to forgive man’s
sins and so that they may have life in Him. Jesus performed miracles, wondrous deeds, and forgive
the sins of the people in order to show that God’s compassion is real and concrete. Before His
Ascension, he commanded His disciples to love one another as how He loved them. Since then,
the Church continues the mission of Christ on earth, to proclaim the good news in words and in
deeds.
Jesus’ compassionate character is imitated and exemplified in the lives of the saints like Martin de
Porres, OP. He preached the good news not only in words, but in deeds. He could empathize with
those people who suffer poverty and sickness. He preached the Gospel of Christ through charitable
acts. He incarnated the message of Christ’s Gospel. That is why, he continue to intercede for those
sick and poor people who ask for prayers.
Analysis
God as Merciful vis-à-vis Filipino concept of Awa and Malasakit
GOD AS MERCIFUL and COMPASSIONATE
God is merciful to those who call on Him earnestly,
But if you do not ask, He will not give.6
Fr. Mercado said that the Filipinos concept of Awa is quite close to the biblical perspective. The
interconnection between love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and charity is emphasized on the Bible.
St. John the Evangelist stressed out that God is love. Because of His love for us, He sent His Son
into the world to forgive our sins and so that we may have life with Him (1 Jn. 4, 8-10). God who
is love, express His love by mercy and compassion. And it is concretely manifested in the
Incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. In His public ministry, Jesus consistently perform miracles
and forgiveness of sins as a proof of God’s mercy towards mankind.
St. Paul said that Christ is God’s greatest gift. Christ is our merciful brother and intercessor. He is
the friend of the sick, the poor, the wick, the oppressed and to all who cry: Lord have mercy on
us! (Mt. 20, 30: 15, 22: 17, 15). Therefore, he who has experience Christ mercy have experience
God’s mercy. Because He is with the Father, and the Father is in Him.7
6
Leonardo N. Mercado, SVD, Elements of Filipino Theology (Tacloban: Divine Word University Publications, 1975),
138.
7
Ibid., 134-135.
8
THE CALL TO MALASAKIT
“Be merciful, just as your Father merciful”
(Lk. 6, 36)
Just as how we received God’s mercy through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, as His true disciples,
we ought to imitate Him in words and deeds. We are all called to a life of holiness and service to
others. This is perfectly express in the Filipino concept of awa and malasakit.
The Filipino concept of awa should be viewed in the light of mercy and love. We can find in the
words kalouy/awa/kaasi.
Awa is a manifestation of being a human person. A person who cannot show human-heartedness
is a person who is cruel, inhuman, and heartless (walang awa). That is why for Filipinos expect
that spark of awa from every human. Filipinos don’t want to be called walang awa, that is why
they are so sensitive to those who ask for it.
The Filipinos’ concept of awa is express in different ways and terms. It could mean a feeling of
pity (habag), a grace or gift (kaloob), an expression of love for one’s won fellowmen
(kawanggawa) and one who has pity or capable of forgiving (maawain).
Kaluoy/ Kaawa/ Kaasi as human heartedness is not only to be extended to relatives and friends,
but also to strangers because we are all blood relatives (kadugo) with Christ. To perform good
deeds is to expresss awa to others.
The Filipinos value the awa which they received from other people not simply because it served
as an answer to the physical or emotional pains and sufferings (sakit) which they are experiencing.
Those who kept on doing awa to them are viewed as persons who are compassionate (may
malasakit). Most of all, malasakit is significant because it serves as a door that opens to solidarity. 8
A person who knows malasakit is the one who is open to experience the pain in the face of another
person’s pain. And person who is compassionate (may malasakit) is willing to subject himself to
do everything, and endure everything with passion and love, like charitable deeds, (pagpapasakit)
just to relieve the pain of the other.
Creed affects Code and Community
Just as how God is compassionate to each and every one of us, therefore, we are commanded to
the same for our neighbors. That is why, the devotees of St. Martin, who asked through their active
participation in the novena prayers and holy mass, asking for God’s mercy though his intercession,
ought to do malasakit to others as well. From worship, they are called to service of charity. They
have this unwritten code of paying it forward. If u received God’s mercy and love, then be ready
to share these blessings to others. By imitating the charitable works of St. Martin, the devotees
believed that they fulfill what the Lord commands “Love one another as I have loved you.”
8
Leonardo N. Mercado, SVD, Filipino Popular Devotions (Manila: Logos Publication, Inc., 2000), 91.
9
2. COMMUNITY
a. History
Since then, original promoter of the devotion to St. Martin de Porres was the cooperator-brothers
of the Order of Preachers, especially here in Santo Domingo Church. Later on, the Convent,
through the initiative of Fr. Augusto Antonio, decided to delegate the task to the lay people (lay
empowerment) and the priests, sometimes, the cooperator-brother serve as their spiritual director.
The Guild started to sing in Charismatic Community through the music ministry. They sing at 12
noon every Sunday. But due to certain circumstances, the group was advised to take a leave. But
this did not stop them from their service. They held prayer meetings at Mary de Jesus’s residence.
On February 28, 1994, the group was given the chance to sing on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm, which was
originally the timeslot for the student-brothers. These schedule went on for several years. Brother
Allen de Guzman was their choir master. The group started with only eight (8) members namely:
Teofy callueng
Jessy Ibarra- Alcazaren
Lorna Nape-Culili
Beth Nape-ravelo
Nilda Oledan
Nelson Culili
The group had regular practices and meetings every month, updating their choir activities and
spiritual enhancements like retreats, Bibliarasal and prayer brigade. Initiall the group gave life to
singing through borrowing musical instruments from the convent. Eventually, they were able to
provide on their own. With the burning desire to propagate St. Martin de Porres through singing,
Sister Mary de Jesus, an OP Lay Dominican, as the guild coordinator, seek the possibility of
singing on a Sunday Mass, through the help of Fr. Roland Castro, OP. The St. Martin de Porres
Choir was granted the slot at 7:00am, which was originally assigned to the Tiples de Santo
Domingo. With this set up, the group was able to new members willing to serve during Tuesdays
and Sundays. Later on, the guild was under the supervision of various choir trainers namely:
Joni Bulalacao
Jessieryl Agraviador
Nick Infante
Randy Iblasin
To date, the St. Martin family has grown and along with this, the guild still observe other
community activities such as outreach and feeding programs, visiting the sick, medical and dental
missions as well as participating in the parish and convent -related activities and ministries. The
members are continuously trying to live faithfully to the mission and vision of the guild. And even
with the ever changing norms of the society, the members are trying to maintain a humble life
following the example of the group’s inspiration, St. Martin de Porres.
10
b. Profile
As of 2018, there are 30 active members. The members of the SMGC are trans-parochial. There
are more women than men. They came from various places in Quezon City, Manila and as far as
Laguna. The eldest in the group was 57 years old and the youngest is 17 years old. Most of them
are employees of various offices and companies. Most of them are married in the Church and only
few are still single. Before joining the SMGC, most of them are not only mass goers but also
actively participating in their respective parishes. When they joined the SMGC, most of them were
doing well in their lives. They have the usual problems in their respective families and in their
work. However, there are three (3) of them who claimed that joining the SMGC was truly a
religious experience because at that time, they were suffering from chronic diseases.
c. How did they get to know the SMGC?
There are several reasons why these members joined the SMGC:
 They saw the group in the Church activities
 Introduced by a friend
 Introduced by SMGC members
 Introduced by relatives
d. How did they treat each other?
As members of the SMGC, although they came from different places and background, they treat
the guild as their second family. They treat each other as brothers and sisters, as friends, and with
respect and compassion.
e. Familiarity with other devotees?
The current members of the SMGC admit that they are only familiar with a few devotees who
attended the novena to St. Martin. However, based on their observations, it appears that most of
them are having difficulties with their life’s socio-economic and health aspects.
f. Filipino Values
The members of the SMGC said that the Filipinos values can be observed within the guild and
that’s the reason why they chose to stay:
 Pagtutulungan/ Pagbibigayan/Bayanihan
 Kababaang-loob
 Kapatiran at Pakikisama
 Pagkamadasalin
 Payak
11
3. CODE
a. Vision/Mission
Mission: Follow the exemplary life of St. Martin de Porres, OP
Vision: Propagation of the Devotion to St. Martin de Porres, OP
b. Membership Qualification9
Anyone, preferably, of legal age, can be a member of the St. Martin de Porres Guild. He/She
must be willing to participate in all the activities of the Group. Open to Christian sects.
b.1 How to become a regular member of the Choir?
 must be a devoted Catholic
 must be of good moral character
 six months period of aspirancy
b.2 Aspiring member of the choir?
 must be willing to commit to the activities of the guild
 must be 18 yrs old and above
 must have a talent in singing
 be present in choral practices
 properly dressed
 must pass the requirement set by the choir master
c. Activities







Every Tuesday Perpetual Novena to St. Martin
9 days novena before the Feast of St. Martin
Parish Activities
Out-Reach Programs
Choral Activities
Guild Meetings
Spiritual Growth Sessions, Retreats, and Recollections
d. Promotions
The members said that they promote the devotion to St. Martin in the following ways:
 Doing charitable acts
 Praying of the Novena every Tuesday
 Distribution of Booklet
 Serving as Choir
 Testimonies to other people
9
St. Martin de Porres Guild Choir, “Constitution and By Laws”
12
Analysis
Creed and Cult affects their Code
I noticed that those words mentioned in the novena prayer and in the litany in honor of St. Martin,
(good attributes and good deeds he has done) were similar to those things to be done in their list
of their present in their recent code.
It includes the significance of having a healthy spiritual life which flows out into practice by doing
what St. Martin did like charitable acts, consoling the afflicted, peacemaker, comforter of the
dying, promoting social justice and inter-racial brotherhood etc.
4. CULT
a. The Novena
The Triduum Prayers and Perpetual Novena in Honor of St. Martin de Porres is held every Tuesday
at 5:30pm. The SMGC members lead the praying of the novena. The devotees will follow. These
are the parts of the novena10:







Act of Contrition
Opening Prayer
Invocation (A, B, C)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
Prayer for Petition
Litany in Honor of St. Martin
Closing Prayer
b. The Mass
Afterwards, the devotees will participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass by serving as the
Choir. The presider follow the order of celebration for the day.
Analysis
Filipino Concept of Health
The Filipinos’ worldview is that of harmony with oneself, with the neighbors, with nature and with
the Other World. It is also in this way that he views health and sickness.
Filipinos view himself holistically, without any compartmentalization. It follows that his faculties
must also be in harmony. When it comes to health practices, it must also in harmony with what the
nature has. If there is a balance in nature, therefore, his practices must also practice the balance of
10
Triduum Prayers and Perpetual Novena in Honor of St. Martin de Porres
13
the hot and cold elements. Furthermore, the Filipinos also recognize that destroying harmony with
the beings of the Other World brings disorder in the bodies. That is why he also desire to be in
harmony with them by performing rituals.
Hence, health and disease is looked at from the perspective of harmony and disharmony and also
psychosomatic angle. Modern medicine attest to the fact that psychological troubles can cause
physical symptoms and vice versa. Therefore, sin and other spiritual disorders can also harm the
body. 11
Anthropologist Jocano said that prayers and rituals are effective therapeutic instruments in folk
medicine. They function as cathartic strategy of local healers in releasing tensions arising from
anxiety over illness supposedly cause by supernatural beings.
Faith in relation to Health
If the Filipino has a holistic view of himself, then faith plays a part in maintaining the harmony of
the faculties. If health is psychosomatic, then psychic ailments require faith for their cure. Faith
can bring peace of mind, tranquility. That is why Christ demands faith from his patients or from
the patients’ companions.12
Faith in Relation to Healing
Letting the patient see the goodness in them is letting them recognize the Divine image and
presence of the Spirit in them. A person who is sick and in pain has become estranged with God
as they have forgotten who they really are (in the image and likeness of God). The connection with
God is restored when one resumes communications with God. The connection with God is restored
when one resumes communication with God, so one needs to ask directly from God.
As Orientals, Filipinos is inclined to believe that the body and the spirit in humans are intimately
connected, the healing of the body and salvation of the spirit are one and the same. The sickness
of the body might be a result of human’s alienation or estrangement from the Divine. One’s
ignorance of its own image leads him/her to commit sin. Most of the time, sin is related to sickness,
and the pain of leading someone to death is the final alienation and separation of the human
creature to the Creator.
Prayer life teach us how to trust God. Faith that is, having confidence in God is the real a game
changer. When we have faith, it gives meaning to our life and to our struggles. Prayer life reminds
us that we should always be aware that we are made great in the image and likeness of God. We
should keep our constant relationship with God who is the source of life and wellness of our human
being.13
11
Mercado, Elements of Filipino Theology, 214.
Ibid., 218.
13
Leonardo N. Mercado, SVD, et. al. Power as the Holy Spirit and Grace (LManila: Logos Publications, 2013), 128129.
12
14
Cult expresses and nourishes their Creed
As a devotee or as a member of the SMGC, he/she has to maintain a good relationship with God.
His/ Her prayer life must be nourished and enriched by praying the novena and active
participation in the Holy Eucharist. It in these occasions that they came to understand their current
situation in the light of the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is in these moments where they can manifest
their radical reliance or leap of faith in the unending mercy of God. That is why, they firmly believe
that a good prayer life could eventually lead to spiritual, emotional, and if God willing, physical
healing.
Furthermore, majority of the devotees and the members of the SMGC mentioned that the novena
prayer and the celebration of the Holy Mass has an unexplainable appeal to their emotions.
Probably, because the liturgical texts emphasizes the term compassion, healing, health, sickness
and doing charity. Other would said it appeals not only to their emotions but also to heir mind
because they seem to find meaning and to understand their situation in the light of faith.
Majority of the devotees believed that they really need to attend the novena and the mass in order
for them to hear the Word of God, to be disposed to God’s grace, and to experience real
conversion. At least, according to the members of the SMGC, the healing power of God through
the intercession of St. Martin, is proven powerful and efficacious (mabisa). But all the more it will
be efficacious for them and for others if the will just filled their hearts (kalooban) with the Word
of God and gave concrete witnessing to the values and virtues (malasakit) shown by St. Martin
especially to the poor and the sick.
c. The Prayer for the Sick
After the final blessing in the mass, the priest will pray the blessing of the sick. Then he will bless
the people and sprinkle holy water to all the devotees.
Analysis
The Concept of Power
Hindu, Chinese, Javanese and Filipino thought agree on the existence of power. It is called as
prana, qi, ilimu and bisa. All agree about the source, that it starts from the Absolute, down to the
cosmos, the world such as mountains, plants, animals.14
Filipino Concept of Bisa
The traditional Filipino world view holds that divine energy permeates the universe and such
energy is seen in every aspect of the natural world. By placing oneself with all forms of life, one
acquires power in order to help others.15
14
15
Mercado, Power as the Holy Spirit and Grace, 29.
Ibid., 25
15
Fernando Zialcita asserts that in all societies, there is a notion called mana. It is a Polynesian term
which means there is an inherent force in things. It could be a physical object, a place, a period of
time, another human being or an animal. The idea is we can tap this force through human endeavors
such as ascetic practices. We can use this power we want in order to do something or to fulfill
something which we want to happen to us.16 The application of power can extend from health
practices to martial arts. Filipino healers also rely on the acquisition of power for their ministry. 17
Hermel Pama also said that aside from mana, the Filipinos also have this concept of bisa. Bisa or
potensiya is efficacy or power in Tagalog dialect. We get this bisa from sacred sources like trees,
mountains, rivers, bodies of water, caves, etc.18 The idea is not just conceptually perceived but can
also be physically harness.
Healing Power by Imposition of Hands
The Spirit of God as power frees people from evilness of sins and its consequences. The imposition
of hands in the Christian Tradition is more than just a gesture. It symbolizes that the priest is
invoking the power of God Spirit in order to shower its charisms to the recipients. The imposition
of hands seems to be a gesture of transmitting the power the Holy Spirit. This gesture is done
during the sacraments of Confirmation and Ordination19
Healing power is also shown in the imposition of hands. Paul was blinded on his way to Damascus.
Ananias was sent to cure Paul and he did this by imposing his hands to him (Acts 9:17). With the
same gesture, Paul also cured Publius, the chief of Malta (Acts28:8).20
Creed affects their Cult
The devotees of St. Martin believed that God heals. And that the intercession of St, martin is so
powerful. Therefore, they also believed in the efficaciousness of the prayer as the priest say the
blessing of the sick. Healing by imposition of hands could result to physical, emotional, and
spiritual healing. Before, the priest could really do the gesture of imposing his hands to the
devotees who are sick. But due to so many attending devotees, he simply raised his hands for the
blessing.
Furthermore, the members of the SMGC asserts that they have been hearing testimonies that their
prayers were answered because of their devotion to St. Martin. Some of the attributed miracles
include physical healing of the members, family members and those whom they promise to pray
for. Other answered prayers include the settling socio-economic problems, work and studies
related problems, relationship problems and most of healing from various emotional and spiritual
disorders.
16
Mercado, Filipino Popular Devotion, 44.
Mercado, Power as the Holy Spirit and Grace, 30.
18
Mercado, Filipino Popular Devotion, 44.
19
Mercado, Power as the Holy Spirit and Grace, 44.
20
Ibid., 45.
17
16
e. The Veneration of the Relic
The sacristan will stand in front and will hold the relic for veneration. The devotees may render
their veneration to the relic either by kissing or touching it. Sometimes, they also wipe their
handkerchief in the relic and put in the area of their bodies which need healing.
Analysis
Power/Holiness as Transmissible
The concept of the holy as power makes us understand Filipino mysticism. According to Mercado,
the Filipino concept of holy is more immanent than transcendent. Since it was immanent, it can be
found in holy places and sacred objects.21
Teresita Obusan tried to translate the term holy to Filipino language. She found out that the nearest
term would be banal. To understand this word, one must look at it in relation to the context of the
people. It can be used as an attribute of a person, place, or of a person’s interiority.22
Filipino Concept of Punas-Punas/Veneration of Relic
Since the notion of power, holy, mana, bisa is something present in the physical realm, then it
conveys that it is very much related to punas-punas. It is an instance of the transmission of a certain
power or bisa coming from the source.23
Florentino Hornedo said that this notion of punas-punas is acculturated. Although he really don’t
know where it came from. He also agreed that the notion of holy is transmissible. It is something
that can be pass from one thing to another. Things that touch a holy thing become holy. It is not
just a notion of blessing, but of touch. Things associated with the holy become holy. The holy is
transmissible through a physical medium.24
Furthermore, this Filipino concept of power/holiness as transmissible is also connected with
kalooban. In order to acquire the bisa, your kalooban must also be clean because it is used to fight
evil within and outside of you. 25
Cult expresses and nourishes their Creed
Part of the Novena to St. Martin is the veneration of his relic. After the mass, the devotees are
allowed to venerate his relic. They simply fall in line and they touch and kiss the relic. For some
devotees, they know they are just venerating the relic. But for some, they believed that things (body
of St. Martin) that have served God acquire a holy character, a blessing and a healing power. So
they also wiped their handkerchief to the relic, then they will also wiped it in their body parts
which needs healing. They have a good feeling after venerating the relic.
21
Mercado, Power as the Holy Spirit and Grace, 31.
Mercado, Filipino Popular Devotion, 45.
23
Ibid., 44.
24
Ibid., 50.
25
Ibid., 45.
22
17
e. The Distribution of Bread
Afterwards, the members of the guild will help the priest in distributing the bread to people from
all walks of life, especially those who wish to have it.
Analysis
Filipino Concept of Food
The Filipino’s first reaction to a visitor is to offer him something to eat or drink no matter how
small it may be. Food is connected with hospitality. Even if there is an unexpected visitors, the
Filipinos did not mind what kind of food to serve. What is important is they expressed a warm
welcome.26
Furthermore, the concept of sharing of food is connected also in enhancing and rectifying
friendships, showing affection, a symbol of happiness and togetherness (Biblical banquet) and
sometimes, with the idea of sacredness, there are certain rules to be observed.
Food is also a symbol of life. We cannot go on with this life without food. Just as meal is a sign of
friendship and unity, so it is also a sign of communion with the Other World. There have been
great similarities to be found between the meals connected with death anniversaries among
lowland Filipinos which renew kinship ties and stress out the sakop values of both the living and
the dead.
Creed affects their Cult and Code
The novena to St. Martin here in Sto. Domingo is unique because of the inclusion of food as part
of the liturgy. Aside from receiving the Jesus, the Bread from Heaven, the devotees also received
Malunggay bread. The bread is donated by an anonymous benefactor who is also a devotee of St.
Martin.
The distribution of bread by the SMGC members is a concrete imitation of Christ compassion for
the poor, imitated by the charitable acts of St. Martin de Porres’ feeding the poor and the hungry.
According to them, due to their limited resources, they admit that they could not address all the
needs of the devotees, especially the poor. Yet they believe that these acts, would be a great help,
they could provide these poor people something to eat to ease the pain in their stomach.
Majority of the devotees think that these bread are not ordinary. Since these are blessed by God,
they believed that it could bring healing to their bodies. For some of them, they believed that since
these bread are used in the liturgy, it does not only satisfy once physical hunger. Other devotees
believed to the extent that this bread can cause physical and spiritual healing. They believe that
the bisa of the healing power of God is not only gained by intellectual faith, but can also be harness
through the mediation of a kind of food we eat.
Danger: They might be going to the novena with the wrong intention. Maybe they are attending
because of the free bread. They might end up looking for the bread alone which quench their
26
Mercado, Elements of Filipino Theology, 177.
18
physical hunger, rather than seeking the Real Bread from heaven that leads us to eternal life. The
devotees should be catechize regarding these matter.
f. Fellowship (Optional)
The SMGC members, together with the other devotees, will gather in the upper room of the
convent’s receiving area. There, they will have their meeting, agape, formal or informal
conversations and practice of songs. It is also in this gathering wherein they introduced new
members to the guild in order to get to know more about them.
III. Conclusion
In the Philippine context, the devotion to St. Martin is quite popular. There have been so many
parishes in the Philippines whose patron is this holy Mullato. He is known to be the intercessor of
the sick and poor and for promotion of social justice among men and other creatures. And who
among us Filipinos did not experience those realities? That is why, St. Martin, aside from being
kayumanggi color like us, is loved by the Filipinos. Aside from that, he is known to be a powerful
intercessor, that’s why people come to him to plead for prayers and miracles.
Even if so many parishes are named after him, yet, they don’t have established devotion or novena
to this venerable man. I think it is right and just that the National Shrine of St. Martin de Porres
here in Santo Domingo established SMGC in order to could promote and give witness to the
holiness of St. Martin. The group could be a model for other parishes who would like to establish
their own guild.
The devotion to St. Martin every Tuesday is quite appealing to the faithful because of some
enculturated thoughts, actions and culture. The novena itself reminds us that God is compassionate
and we Filipinos understand it as malasakit. And we are also called to do malasakit to out feloow
Christians as well. Another enculturated gesture was the punas-punas done every veneration of the
relic brought about by the Oriental belief embedded in the consciousness of every Filipinos that
power is transmissible and can be harness by touching the sacred person or sacred objects. The
power of healing can also be achieved by doing this. The distribution of food/bread after the
novena symbolizes the immediate action of the devotees to strengthen and nourish the life of our
poor brothers and sisters.
It is commendable that the devotees and members of the St. Martin Guild Choir, the promoter of
devotion, are also conscious of preparing themselves spiritually. They give emphasis on the liturgy
of the Eucharist and make sure that they too become the living Eucharist for others as well. They
do it giving witness to their faith in their daily life, and by doing charitable works every now and
then.
The Vison and Mission of the guild is really noble. I suggest that the friars of Santo Domingo
would give their full support to them in terms of spiritual and human formation, financial assistance
and anything which could help the said wonderful group.
19
As part of a greater improvement for inculturation of the Novena to St. Martin, I decided to
translate the current Triduum and Perpetual Novena into Tagalog. I also included biblical readings
as basis for reflection. Furthermore, and it is a development, I also suggest that the speakers/sharers
while praying this novena, would be the Dominican Cooperator Brothers who are known to be and
supposed to be the promoter of the devotion to their brother Martin. There is also a portion wherein
one of the devotees will share his/her religious experiences, like answered prayers through the
intercession of Saint Martin, in order to testify that he really intercedes for all of us.
20