Today I was admiring a statue of St. Martin de Porres. An acquaintance came over to me and told me the story of the statue. Essentially, she rescued it from a yard. The owner offered it to her and she snatched it up. She had it repainted.
So I told her my story about a statue of St. Martin de Porres. Once upon a time, I wasn't a Lay Dominican. I don't think I even knew there was such an organization as the Order of Preachers, never mind that St. Martin de Porres was a famous member of the Order.
I was teaching in a parochial school. I was team teaching with a religious sister. I don't remember what religious order she belonged to. That fact alone, tells you how ignorant I was of things religious. Every day, my class and I prayed a rosary. We used a statue of a "black Madonna" for inspiration. One day, Sister and I were talking and I happened to mention the statue in my classroom of the "black Madonna."
"What black Madonna?" Sister asked.
"That one." I pointed.
Sister laughed...and laughed...and laughed....
"That's not Mary. That's St. Martin de Porres!" And she couldn't stop laughing.
I was very, very embarrassed. Here I was teaching at a Catholic school and I had never heard of St. Martin de Porres and couldn't tell him from Mary! "Well." I said. " Why is he wearing a dress?"
Sister laughed even more! !!!!!! "That's a Dominican habit!"
I was too humiliated to ask what a Dominican was, nevermind a habit!
But just look at me know.
So I told her my story about a statue of St. Martin de Porres. Once upon a time, I wasn't a Lay Dominican. I don't think I even knew there was such an organization as the Order of Preachers, never mind that St. Martin de Porres was a famous member of the Order.
I was teaching in a parochial school. I was team teaching with a religious sister. I don't remember what religious order she belonged to. That fact alone, tells you how ignorant I was of things religious. Every day, my class and I prayed a rosary. We used a statue of a "black Madonna" for inspiration. One day, Sister and I were talking and I happened to mention the statue in my classroom of the "black Madonna."
"What black Madonna?" Sister asked.
"That one." I pointed.
Sister laughed...and laughed...and laughed....
"That's not Mary. That's St. Martin de Porres!" And she couldn't stop laughing.
I was very, very embarrassed. Here I was teaching at a Catholic school and I had never heard of St. Martin de Porres and couldn't tell him from Mary! "Well." I said. " Why is he wearing a dress?"
Sister laughed even more! !!!!!! "That's a Dominican habit!"
I was too humiliated to ask what a Dominican was, nevermind a habit!
But just look at me know.
