St. Isidore was born in 1070 in Madrid. As a child, his destitute parents sent him to a wealthy landowner to work as a farmer. As Providence had it, this was his only job until his death at the age of 60.
Isidore married a holy woman named Maria Torribia (who herself is a canonized saint). Together they had a son who died suddenly as a child. Throughout his life, Isidore attended daily Mass, after which he worked in the fields. Through the work of his hands and divine intervention, he consistently produced greater yields in comparison with other farm workers who toiled nearby. It is no surprise that he is the patron saint of farmers and the United States National Rural Life Conference.
Like other saints, in addition to his intense love and devotion to our Divine Savior in the Blessed Sacrament, St. Isidore had a tremendous love for the poor which was reflected in his charity to those in need, especially the hungry. He was, on at least one occasion, the instrument of the division of food in the midst of a large group of beggars. It is also no surprise that St. Isidore was the unanimous choice for the patron saint for our new thrift store in Imperial.
On March 8 in Imperial, St. Isidore Gift & Thrift celebrated its grand opening. Present were Father Bernard Lorenz, who cut the ribbon at 11 a.m., Bill Sullivan, the store’s manager, other members of CSS and many wonderful volunteers from the Imperial area. We are grateful to Father Lorenz and the members of St. Patrick in Imperial for letting us use their old parish hall after they built a beautiful new one. After some minor modifications to the old hall and other preparations by the loving and dedicated volunteers, the grand opening occurred without a hitch. A good-sized crowd was greeted with refreshments. Many items were purchased - items large such as furniture and small such as kitchen items, and seemingly everything in between.
Donated items will be sold at affordable prices and the profits used to help the needy in the western region of the diocese. Even though we assist individuals and families all across the diocese, it was our dream to do more out west, which was one of the four elements or goals of our first-ever capital campaign, Expanding the Works of Mercy. After several years, with the powerful intercession of St. Isidore, we will be ready to purchase a building in downtown Imperial for a permanent site.
I would like to thank Father Lorenz, Bill Sullivan, other staff members of CSS and all the dedicated and generous volunteers who donated their time getting the store ready, and those who worked at the store on the day of the grand opening, and donors of material items who helped make this project a reality.
For those in the area, please keep St. Isidore in mind when donating items big and small, and consider volunteering. And of course, please keep us in your prayers. St. Isidore the Farmer, pray for us!!
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