Born in Madrid, Spain, St. Isidore the Farmer toiled as an agricultural worker. He married Maria de la Cabeza who also was canonized. They had a son who died young. He attended church before going in the fields where he spoke with God. Renowned for his love of the poor, he miraculously found food for those in need on occasion.
Known for love of animals, Isidore credited angels with helping him plow his fields three times more quickly than other farmers. He was credited with multiplication of food, one time feeding a flock of hungry birds and another time feeding a large group of beggars.
Isidore died in May 1130. The patron saint of farmers, laborers, and rural communities along with Madrid, Leon and Seville, he was canonized along with four other saints by Pope Paul V in 1622. He was named U.S. National Rural Life Conference patron in 1947.
