Martín de Porres Velázquez, O.P., was born Dec. 9, 1579, and died Nov. 3, 1639. He was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order, beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962. St. Martin is the patron of Black and mixed-race peoples, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, all those seeking racial harmony and, interestingly, also of animals.

St. Martin was noted for his work on behalf of the poor, establishing an orphanage and a children's hospital. He maintained an austere lifestyle, which included fasting and abstaining from meat. Some of the miracles attributed to him were those of levitation, bilocation, miraculous knowledge, instantaneous cures and an ability to communicate with animals. 

Powerful quotes attributed to St. Martin include: 

• Always consider others as more holy and more worthy than you, at the same time strive to be as holy as you can be.

• Do not complain, that shows discontent with the will of God in the present moment. That is also proof of impatience.

• Everything, even sweeping, scraping vegetables, weeding a garden and waiting on the sick could be a prayer, if it were offered to God.

The celebration in Columbia began with an international Mass offered in Spanish, Swahili, French, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole and English. The Lord's Prayer was sung by the congregation in Latin, the universal language of the Catholic Church.

"It was a beautiful celebration," said Laurie Tollefsen, director of religious education. "The experience was truly moving." 

After the Mass, tents and tables were set up in the church parking lot with displays and food from different countries and cultures. Vietnam, the Netherlands, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Ireland and the Lowcountry of South Carolina were all represented.

In addition to music and dancing, participants were able to sample many different foods, such as gingerbeer, a nonalcoholic drink from Grenada; bulla cake, a spicy cake from Jamaica; and kurma, a sweet spiced fried-dough from Trinidad and Tobago. 

Jollof rice was served by our Nigerian and Ghanian communities. Ireland was represented with stew and soda bread. Served from Puerto Rico were two stews: chicken and beef. From Vietnam were served egg rolls, fried rice, sponge cakes and fried sesame balls with mung beans. 

Jolanda Seymore from the Netherlands served stroopwaffels, Gouda and Edam cheeses, and she even had wooden shoes to try on. From Charleston, there was red rice, okra soup and perlau, and apple cobbler. There were many more dishes served — it was truly a feast!

Celebrating our Catholic faith, customs, rituals and each other was a lovely way to honor the works of St. Martin de Porres. This was a beautiful way to start November, Black Catholic Heritage Month, and celebrate our patron saint.

Visit us at: stmartincolumbia.org.