St. Martin de Porres was born this day in Lima (Peru) of biracial parents, and became a Dominican lay brother who developed a love for the poor and the ill. A ministry of DENA is the Martin de Porres Schools, which evolved from Bill Jesinkey’s work for students with emotional or behavioral issues in 1970 in Astoria, Queens, NY. It transitioned to a pilot program within Mater Christi HS (Astoria) and soon moved to the nearby Martin de Porres Community Center where this ministry’s name originated. Relocated several times, a school program and a group home were eventually joined by a high school. Today the elementary/junior high is in Elmont (Nassau County, NY), the high school is in Rockaway Park (Queens, NY), and the residential component is in Ozone Park (Queens, NY).
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=306 . See also https://www.mdp.org/about . See also District of Eastern North America: District Directory 2018-2019, p. 19.
