Dear to the heart of anyone who works in agriculture is Saint Isidore the Farmer. Not as “flashy” so to speak as some other saints, he nonetheless embodies the qualities that lead to a life of quiet holiness.

Born to a peasant family in Spain in 1070, he was working for a wealthy landowner named John de Vargas as soon as he was old enough to wield a scythe. The estate was located just outside the city of Madrid and Isidore stayed there as a laborer for the remainder of his life. He married another young peasant woman named Maria de la Cabeza who, like her husband, also became a saint. Sadly, they only had one son, who died as a child.

What set Isidore apart from the other laborers were his religious sensibilities. Rising earlier than everyone else, he would go into the city of Madrid in order to attend Mass. In fact, it seemed the only complaint the other workers had about him was that he was sometimes late to the fields because he lingered so long in the church. However, legend has it that when someone complained to the owner about this, de Varga himself went in search of Isidore to check on him. What he found were two angels doing the plowing in his stead. He decided that as long as the work was being done, he would allow Isidore to continue his morning devotions.

His holiness reached far beyond morning Mass. On his holidays, he often visited some of the many churches in Madrid and the surrounding towns, and even behind his plow he was in constant communication with God. Because of this, other miraculous events were attributed to him. Known for his love of the poor, he often brought the hungry he met on his way home to have dinner at his house; his wife would always have a pot of stew ready to feed these guests. However, one evening, Isidore brought home more people than usual and, halfway through serving the meal, Maria had run out of food. When she told Isidore this, he instructed her to look again. Miraculously, the pot was full.

Much like Saint Francis of Assisi, who would live nearly 200 years later, Isidore also had a great love for animals. Another legend tells of a cold, winter day when he was on his way to the mill with wheat to be ground. Taking pity on the birds pecking at the frozen earth, he poured out half the sack of grain to feed them. Warned by a passer-by that the owner of the wheat would be angry with him, he continued on to the mill anyway. When he arrived there, the sack was full again and, when ground, produced three times the usual amount of flour.

Saint Isidore was canonized on March 22, 1622, along with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri. Isidore, the illiterate but holy laborer, is celebrated on May 15.