May 15, 2009
The Bishop's Forum
St. Isadore
by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger
Today, May 15 is the feast day of St. Isidore, Farmer. We urgently need his intervention before the throne of God!
At our annual Rogation Day held at St. Bernard’s in Rockport earlier in the spring, we prayed the litany of St. Isidore, asking his intercession for favorable weather for planting, growing and harvesting of our crops. I also blessed seeds, plants and soil asking God’s direct assistance for bountiful crops.
It is no secret that the last nine months have been filled with a very volatile weather patterns. Many farm crops, farm buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed by the devastating winds of Hurricane Ike last fall. (This is not to ignore others whose homes and property suffered serious wind damage as well.)
In the winter came the terrible ice storm. It caused extensive property damage, loss of power for weeks. It also resulted in the spoilage of frozen foods in home freezers.
Throughout the spring we have experienced extended periods of rain making it most difficult for farmers to prepare the soil and plant the crops in a timely fashion to have hopes of fruitful crops for harvesting.
All this has taken place within a financial climate compounding the plight of the farmers. Most farmers do not have a steady cash flow throughout the year; planting time very often requires large loans for seed and fertilizer as well as for updating farm equipment. We pray that farms and homes are not lost to foreclosures due to the pressures of unfavorable weather conditions.
There is another concern to which I draw attention at every Rogation Day Mass. That is the safety of farmers. The urgencies that attend to the preparing and planting of crops arise from very brief windows of suitable time to get into the fields. These all too often diminish sound judgment of dedicated farmers by over extending themselves physically.
Farmers tend to be independent with a mindset of immortality while remaining mere mortals. Farmers in pursuit of the good, often deny, by their actions, that physical exhaustion and mental fatigue can be deadly when joined together. They are the key ingredients in a classic formula for disaster resulting in grave injury and death. It is usually marked by carelessness and disregard for safety practices.
Farming is a dangerous occupation. It does not allow for careless mistakes. It demands that farmers have sufficient sleep to remain alert enough to make sound judgments about their own safety throughout the work day.
Let pray for our brothers and sisters who dedicate their lives to growing food crops, producing milk, beef, pork and poultry for our tables. Through the intercession of St. Isidore may they remain safe and find sustenance for themselves and families May they be blessed with satisfaction and joy in their work!