St. Joseph Catholic Church held its St. Isidore Pilgrimage on Saturday, May 15, 2021. A total of 12 parishioners from St. Joseph made the 8-mile trek from the church to St. Therese in Vineland, with another 25 making their way from Sacred Heart in Avondale to meet those coming the opposite direction from St. Joseph.
After a blessing from Fr. Joseph and Deacon Ed outside the church, Deacon Michael Sanchez, led the pilgrimage to bless the fields of the farmers in our area and pray for moisture and an abundance in crops.
The pilgrimage ended around noon and snacks were served this year due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Story of St. Isidore
Isidore was born in 1070 to a peasant family near Madrid, Spain. He was baptized “Isidore” in honor of the famous archbishop of Seville.
Isidore the farmer was actually a day laborer, working on the farm of the wealthy John de Vergas at Torrelaguna, just outside Madrid. He married a poor girl, Maria Torribia. Their only child, a son, died in infancy.
The couple took a vow of continence to serve God. Isidore’s life is a model of simple Christian charity and faith. He prayed while at work. He shared what he had with the poor, even his meals. He often gave them more than he had for himself.
A story told about St. Isidore (feast day, May 15) is that he often came later to work in the fields than other laborers because he would first attend Mass in the morning. Yet his work never suffered and he always met the chores required of him. It was said two angels, one on either side of Isidore, appeared and joined their pious companion in plowing the fields.
The photo (to the right) and content (above and "Litany to St. Isidore" is courtesy of Catholic Rural Life - https://catholicrurallife.org/