Two saints who lived in different times and came from different backgrounds share the name Isidore. One, Saint Isidore of Seville, lived around 560–636 and was a bishop credited with having such a vast store of knowledge that today he is considered the patron saint of computers and the internet. But there’s another Isidore, usually called “the farmer” to distinguish him from the bishop. This Saint Isidore—born in Madrid, Spain, about 500 years after the bishop—may in fact have been named for the bishop of Seville.
Isidore the Farmer was not an educated man or a person of high standing in society. Yet he was recognized as a holy man, and he influenced many with his life of charity and prayer. He believed that nothing in this life is more important than staying close to God.
As a young man, Isidore was hired by a rich landowner. He continued to work in this man’s fields his entire life. As he planted, plowed, and harvested the crops, Isidore prayed. He went to Mass every morning, and sometimes the other workers complained that he came late to work because he was at church. One day, the landowner came to see if this was true. When he looked out into the field, he saw an angel doing Isidore’s plowing.
Isidore was a humble man. He was married to María de la Cabeza, who has also been proclaimed a saint. In their community of poor farmers, Isidore and María were always there to feed someone who had less than they did. More than once, the food miraculously multiplied, so there was plenty for everyone to eat. After their only child died as a young boy, Isidore and María used their sorrow to offer comfort and sympathy to others. They showed others that hardship and hard work don’t destroy happiness if one’s heart is with God.
After Isidore’s death, miracles were attributed to him. It is said that when Spain was at war, Isidore appeared to King Alphonsus and showed him a route by which he was able to ambush and defeat the enemy. When King Philip III of Spain was dying, relics of Saint Isidore were brought to the king’s room, and he recovered immediately.
SEEDS (Preschool)
Ask Seeds children to name their favorite fruits and vegetables. Then help the children discover how these foods are grown. Invite a parent or grandparent who is a gardener or a farmer to share his or her knowledge with the children or provide the information with books from the library or print materials from online sources. Children may be surprised, for instance, to find out that carrots grow underground or that peaches grow on trees.
Armed with this new information, invite each child to draw a picture that shows how his or her favorite fruit or vegetable grows. If possible, have some of these foods on hand for the children to share and enjoy. Lead the children in thanking God for this good food.
PROMISE (Grades K–1)
Plan a field trip to a nursery or garden center for Promise children or bring seedlings to class for the children to examine and plant. Good choices would be patio tomatoes or strawberries. Also buy or ask for donations of pots and potting soil. Demonstrate how to transplant a seedling into a pot, and then have the children plant their seedlings. Do this project outdoors or on work tables covered with newspaper or plastic.
Talk about the needs of a growing plant. Ask the children to find a sunny spot at home for their plants. Explain that if the children remember to water their plants, they may enjoy eating the fruit they nurtured. Encourage the children to ask God to bless their plants and their work.
GOOD NEWS (Grades 2–3)
Plan a field trip to a farmer’s market for Good News children. You may be able to find fresh lettuce, spinach, baby carrots and radishes, and green peas. Let the children talk to the gardeners about how these greens and vegetables are grown, and how they are different from what may be available in a grocery store. When you return to the parish, help the children to make a large salad to share.
If visiting a market is not possible, help the children create a food chain. Begin by asking the children to brainstorm to list words and phrases they associate with fresh produce—fruits and vegetables that have not been processed. Jot all of their words and phrases on the board. Then invite the children to list as many steps as they can between when a seed is planted and when a fruit or vegetable is on their table. You might contrast the number of steps a farm or gardening family takes versus a grocery-shopping family.
VENTURE (Grades 4–6)
Share the book Harvesting Hope, The Story of Cesar Chavez (Kathleen Krull, Boston, MA: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2003) with Venture children. With illustrations that you can share, this book tells the story of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. Children will be interested to learn how his life changed radically when he was ten years old. Until then, his family had owned their own ranch in Arizona, and their crops were abundant. When a drought dried up the soil—and the crops and their income, they joined many other families looking for work in California. The story tells about Cesar’s hard labor in the fields and his struggles in school. As a young man, Cesar began to talk to and organize farm workers in a quest for justice. Through nonviolent marches and strikes, the people stood up for their rights and the dignity of their work and achieved the first contract for farm workers in American history.
VISIONS (Grades 7–8)
Explain to Visions students that Saint Isidore is especially honored in rural areas of the United States. On his feast day, May 15, farmers in New Mexico gather for Mass, then carry a statue of Saint Isidore into the fields and invite the priest to bless their fields and crops.
Invite the students to work in small groups to write prayers asking for the intercession of Saint Isidore. Some students may choose to illustrate their group’s prayer. Depending on whether your parish is urban or rural, groups may focus on home gardens or on farms. Help the students learn about and appreciate their connection to the soil and their dependence on farmers.
Suggest that the students include petitions for good weather, rain, and healthy crops, as well as blessings on gardeners and farmers. Make arrangements to have the class prayer printed in your parish bulletin.
Image credit: Ceremonial standard in parish church (Hüttau Kirche, Salzburg/Austria). Photo by Wolfgang Sauber [CC BY-SA 3.0] via WikimediaCommons.
