Martin was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579
At a young age, Martin's father abandoned him, his mother and his younger sister
After spending just two years in primary school, Martin was placed with a barber/surgeon where he would learn to cut hair and the medical arts
As Martin grew older, he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed-race
In Peru, by law, all descendants of African or Indians were not allowed to become full members of religious orders
Martin, who spent long hours in prayer, found his only way into the community he longed for was to ask the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a volunteer who performed the most menial tasks in the monastery
When Martin was 15, he asked for admission into the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima and was received as a servant boy and eventually was moved up to the church officer in charge of distributing money to deserving poor.

Test your knowledge of the inspiring life of Martin de Porres, a Dominican lay brother who overcame discrimination and poverty to become a revered figure in the Catholic Church.