St. Isidore’s Garden

Today in the United States we celebrate the optional memorial of St. Isidore the Farmer.

This is one of my favorite saints. One reason is I did my undergrad thesis on an aspect of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference of which St. Isidore is the patron. My favorite liturgical year book, Cooking for Christby Florence Berger, was published in 1949 by the NCRLC.

Isidore and his wife Maria were both saints, but lived humble lives, working, helping the poor, and doing their daily duty to the best of their ability. Isidore attended morning Mass daily, and the favorite story told about him was people found angels tilling the fields while he was at Mass. But I’m not expecting any miraculous angels, but I look to this holy couple for imitation on the way they fulfilled their marital vocation, and humbly did their daily work all for the glory of God.

This springtime of year my thoughts turn to planting and growing vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Combined with season of Easter, celebrating Christ’s resurrection and the newness of life, upcoming Rogation Days, a month dedicated to Mary (thinking of my Mary Garden) — St. Isidore’s feast comes at a lovely time.

I’m no farmer, nor do I live in rural area, but I love working in the soil and growing things. I think my view our family garden as a farmer views his family’s garden. And since I’m a city gal, I can use all the spiritual assistance in my gardening skills — and so I pray to St. Isidore to intercede for us. Today our family is putting in our vegetable and herb garden, and perhaps a few flowers for the front garden. We’re off to gather soil material and plants for our Square Foot Gardens and Mary Garden.

And so our prayers will include:

Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore the Farmer

O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, revealed yourself the husbandman of our souls, deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore, to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer, so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer in Planting Time
Dear Lord, You are wonderful in everything you do. In marvelous ways You take the full, rich life of the plant and carefully fold it into tiny seeds. You form the seeds according to many different shapes and sizes and colors, so that man can know what kind of growth will come of them. When they are placed the earth they may look dry and dead, but when they are watered by the life-giving rain and nourished by the warm sun, they lose all their lifeless look and grow in an almost miraculous manner. By the power You gave them, they take the dead minerals of the earth and build up the nourishing, tasty foods that men need to sustain life.

This week, dear Lord, we will plant these seeds of (wheat, corn, or whatever it may be) that You have given us. Bless them, and watch over them, and bring them to the full growth and rich harvest that You wish to bless us with.

But, should You not allow them to come to full harvest, we accept Your will humbly. We trust that You will nevertheless watch over us and make the seeds of grace that You have given us grow to flower and fruit in the full Christian life that You intend for us here and hereafter. Amen.

Prayer of the Christian Farmer and Gardener
O God, Source and Giver of all things, Who does manifest Thy infinite majesty, power and goodness in the earth about us, we give You honor and glory.

For the sun and the rain, for the manifold fruits of our fields, for the increase of our herds and flocks, we thank You. For the enrichment of our souls with divine grace, we are grateful.

Supreme Lord of the harvest, graciously accept us and the fruits of our toil, in union with Christ, Your Son, as atonement for our sins, for the growth of Your Church, for peace and charity in our homes, for salvation to all. Amen.

Blessing of Sprouting Seed (from the Roman Ritual)
V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who has made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray.
We ask and beg of You, Lord, to bless this sprouting seed. Warm it with the gentle breath of soft winds, make it fruitful with dew from heaven, and be so kind as to bring it to its fullest maturity for the good of our souls and bodies, through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

(And they are sprinkled with holy water.)

For further reading, see Catholic Culture: St. Isidore the Farmer.

Rural Life PrayerbookWritten and Compiled by Alban J. Dachauer, S.J., printed in 1956 by NCRLC. This is one of my favorite prayerbooks. Father Dachauer took many of the blessings related to rural living from the Roman Ritual and included them in the prayerbook.

Patron Saints Index

Prayer to St. Isidore