On November 3rd, we celebrate the Feast of Day of Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint of the Americas. 

Born in 1579 in Lima, Peru, and was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and Ana Velazquez and from freed slave from Panama of African descent. He and his sister Juana were socially stigmatized for being of mixed race. For many years their father refused to acknowledge them as his children, mainly because of their dark skin. Lacking his support, they spent their childhood in poverty. 

At the age of twelve, he had the good fortune to apprentice as a barber-surgeon (a person skilled at bloodletting), an experience that taught him about medicine and how to care for the sick. At the age of fifteen, he had a vision of Mary, who told him to go to the local Dominican friary and ask to be admitted. He did so, and the Order accepted him as a lay helper, the most he could expect given his color and lack of social standing.

In 1603, after serving nine years, he was finally allowed to take full vows as a friar. Martin worked in the kitchen, laundry, and infirmary and also distributed alms to the poor. Always willing to do any menial chore, he was assigned the task of sweeping floors, earning him the nickname Brother Broom. People also called him Martin of Charity because of his love and passion for service. In addition to devoting much time to caring for the sick and the poor, he founded an orphanage, and took on the task of tending to black slaves brought from Africa, because they had no one to care for them. He even set up a shelter - hospital for stray dogs and cats. Martin never judged a person by his race or social class; in looking at someone in need, he only saw Jesus.

HISTORY

On August 1, 2010, the Church of the Resurrection was established in the Bond Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati through the merging of four faith communities: St. Andrew (Avondale), St. Mark (Evanston), St. Agnes (Bond Hill), and St. Martin de Porres (Lincoln Heights). 

The new parish's first pastor, Reverend Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S., was appointed along with Pastoral Associates Brother Hugh Henderson, C.PP.S., and Reverend Mr. Royce Winters. The parishioners of the four communities came together to worship as one new parish, bringing with them their parish banners, processional crosses, Easter candles, and holy water from their fonts. They gathered outside the church before pouring the holy water from the four parishes into the font, mingling it with a vial of water from the Jordan River and invoking God's blessings upon it. This same water was then used to sprinkle the building, its floors, and walls, and later used by everyone to renew their baptismal promises.

Several traditions were also incorporated, including honoring those in the Cincinnati area who help "Keep the Dream Alive" - the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King - every January, and hosting "Jazz on the Lawn" one Saturday each summer for fellowship, food and music. The Church of the Resurrection is a compassionate, multigenerational, Catholic Community known for its diverse spirit-filled worship and community service, and continuously engages people through stewardship, service, ministry, and faith.