On February 7, 2022, a group of Delbarton students and faculty gathered together in the DAP (Diversity Among Peers) office on the second floor of Trinity Hall for a special moment—to celebrate the dedication of the room as the St. Martin De Porres Center.

A new addition to Trinity Hall this year, the St. Martin De Porres Center has provided an opportunity for leaders of Delbarton’s DEI program, students and faculty alike, to meet and plan events and opportunities for students throughout the year. However, the room has also served as a space for students to relax and spend time with one another during moments of leisure during the otherwise hectic lives of Delbarton students.

The ceremony began with the blessing of the room by Headmaster Fr. Michael Tidd, OSB and Br. Finnbar McEvoy, OSB. DAP student leader Jalen Pierre ‘23 then explained the reasoning behind the selection of St. Martin De Porres. Born in Peru during the late sixteenth century, De Porres was the illegitimate son of a Spanish gentleman and a freed Peruvian slave of either African or indigenous descent. After being abandoned by his father at a young age, De Porres grew up in extreme poverty and endured severe ridicule due to his mixed-race heritage. Despite Peruvian law forbidding De Porres from joining the Dominican order, he incessantly pleaded with local religious authorities, and eventually, he grew to become a Dominican lay brother at the age of 24. 

De Porres provided unconditional care for all people, regardless of race or wealth. He took care of everyone from the Spanish nobles to the African slaves. He was even known to have numerous extraordinary abilities, including aerial flights, bilocation, instant cures, miraculous knowledge, spiritual knowledge, and an excellent relationship with animals. Furthermore, he also founded an orphanage for abandoned children and slaves at a local hospital. 

When De Porres was sixty years old, he became very ill with a fever and chills, and soon after, he passed away. However, his work with the infirmed and forgotten and his commitment to helping people of all races created an enduring and immense legacy. Today, he is recognized as the patron saint of people of mixed race, public health workers, social justice, and more. 

As Pierre concluded his dedication speech for De Porres, he explained “This is the next step in rooting ourselves into our mission.” Indeed, this mission proves to be the same as De Porres’s, to promote equality and justice on campus, in our community, and throughout the world.