The Church Triumphant: Spotlight on St. Isidore the Farmer

Happy Tuesday everyone, and welcome to the March edition of The Church Triumphant! I looked at my handy dandy saints calendar to garner an idea, and noticed St. Isidore the Farmer on March 22nd. I perked right up. Interestingly, his memorial is celebrated on May 15th, but apparently in the older 1962 calendar (which is used when the Traditional Latin Mass is offered) his feast was celebrated on March 22nd, hence his indication on my all- inclusive calendar. I love fascinating little facts such as these. ;-)

St. Isidore captured my attention because I've written about him before. He is a favorite saint of my Henry, and isn't it just so precious when children take a shine to a particular saint? St. Isidore's story is a simple one in many ways, and that's part of why Henry is drawn to it, I think. St. Isidore was just a guy who was a hard worker, but he loved to attend daily Mass, and that's where the story gets interesting...

St. Isidore was born in the late 11th century in Madrid. He later married, and he and his wife lost a son in infancy. Following that tragedy, he and his wife discerned that they would dedicate the remainder of their lives to God, and they chose to live as brother and sister. During the course of his daily labors, Isidore wanted to make his work sacred by prayer and attending Mass. His fellow workers felt that he was being lazy by slipping off to attend Mass and, in their opinion, sticking them with extra work, so they informed their boss of his actions. When his boss came to check on the situation, he found angels plowing the field in Isidore's stead. I love that that image always appears in St. Isidore's iconography, as you can see above. And in fact, that's Henry's favorite part of the story, the angels. Maybe he's hoping that they'll come do his chores for him sometime? ;-)

There are a few saints that Henry is always interested in when we flip open his saint books each evening: St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Dominic Savio, and St. Isidore the Farmer. For Christmas, I bought him a St. Isidore wooden saint figurine:

As soon as Henry pulled St. Isidore out of his Christmas stocking, he recognized him. :) I love the sweetness that comes from a child's devotion to a saint, and thus I have a fondness for St. Isidore as well. In fact, a few years ago he was patron saint of this blog, and that came from the random saint name generator, so obviously God has deigned him as special for me as well. :)

I very much relate to St. Isidore's desire to sanctify his work. Ever since my early 20's, I have longed for a job that was more religious in nature, but that was not to be. And so within my secular jobs, small reminders to offer things up, pray an Angelus at noon or Morning Prayer during a quiet reference shift, or attend daily Mass at lunchtime take on greater significance. Our secular work still has deeper meaning for our souls, for the souls of others, and for our relationship with God. St. Isidore is the perfect example of that.

As I was researching this post, I found that there are official prayers for a novena to St. Isidore. Score! Traditionally, his novena is prayed from May 7th to his feast day of May 15th. Maybe we should do this this year? Think about it. :) Perhaps I'll pray this with Henry this year. I'm going to write myself a little reminder in my planner...done!

Does anybody else have a devotion to St. Isidore the Farmer? Do leave a comment!

Happy Feast of St. Isidore the Farmer!

May 15th is the feast of St. Isidore the Farmer, patron of this humble blog for the year 2013. :) Interestingly, he has become a favorite of Henry's since he appears in one of his children's saints books. He has requested that I read St. Isidore's story at least a half dozen times this year, and I can't help but think that this saint has taken a special interest in our family.

Cam, he has requested a St. Isidore peg doll, so I'll be visiting your saint store again soon. :)

Henry was all excited today that since St. Isidore was specifically noted in his school planner, this means that the principal will read his story during the morning announcements. Precious.

From American Catholic.org we have this blurb on St. Isidore:

"Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.

When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son, who died as a child.

Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early in the morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for his fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of lingering in church too long.

He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.

He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as 'the five saints.'"

Henry's saint book notes that sometimes angels were seen to be pushing the plow in St. Isidore's absence, this is one of his favorite parts. Stories of saints from centuries ago are rife with these pious details, and I always make sure to tell Henry that while some such specifics may simply be legends, the person was definitely real and holy in their example.

Good stuff. :)