Gotz Broom
Saint:
Date: 3/30/2009
From:
cghrn 
...or Spring Cleaning?
Saint Martin de Porres is depicted above alongside a dog, cat, bird and mouse, and is holding, of all things, a broom! Why is he known as the "Saint of the Broom," you ask? Well, Saint Martin de Porres thought of no task as being too menial to be made sacred.
He allowed rats to be fed from garbage and food on the floor, because, he postulated, they were underfed (otherwise they wouldn't be looking in the garbage for extra food!). He helped find many a home and meal for stray animals, and took pride in doing any task to help his brother Dominicans—including sweeping, mopping, and tidying up the place.
Although his feast day is November 3, I think we can honor him on this Monday as we return to our normal weekday activities—even the most mundane ones!
