St. Isidore, you lived a humble life working the land.
You attended Holy Mass each morning which jeopardized the employment
that allowed your family to eat.
The Lord repaid your love by sending his angels to plow the fields
while you were at Church.
Dear Isidore, ask Our Lord Jesus to place deep faith in our hearts
and water it each day with your prayers that we may progress in holiness as you did.
Pray that as our heart grows in love and humility we may be a living sign of Jesus
to those around us.
As a farmer who used his hands to bring forth nourishing food please ask Jesus to bless us with a bountiful harvest.
Pray that our hands and bodies will remain strong that we may farm the land God has given us.
Ask Jesus to care for our gardens as he tends our hearts.
Pray that weeds will be kept far from our fields and likewise give us an aversion to sin.
Humbly we ask that you carry the petitions we hold in our heart to our most loving and generous Lord. – Amen

Fall is a time to rejoice in the changing in the leaves, Friday night lights, and bonfire weather. Another of God’s seasonal changes is the farmer’s harvest. He blessed this land with wonderful men and woman who are up well before most of us, doing work in the wee hours of the morning until late into the day that most of us could not fathom. Although in a hurry and faced with a large piece of farm equipment traversing the country roads to the next field can be frustrating, let us remember that this is a necessary job and that farmer has a family to get home to, homework to help with and miles of fields to plan for before they go to bed. Let’s give some space and grace to ourselves and our farmers’ equipment in those moments. Thank you, to our parish farmers, for all you do!

Learn more about Saint Isidore & Maria:
Isidore and Maria, Patron Saints of Farmers
Learn more about Illinois’ Ag:
Illinois Department of Agriculture
County & Illinois Harvest Activities 2025:
Petersburg Harvest Fest September 20th
St. Peter Parish Picinic & Chilli Cookoff September 28th – See calendar for more information.
Indian Creek Farmstead Petersburg, IL https://www.indiancreekfarmstead.com/
Jefferies Orchard (just south of Athens on 29) Springfield, IL https://www.jefferies-orchard.com/
Spoon River Drive (10/4-5 & 10/11-12) https://spoonriverdrive.org/
Must-Do Fall Activities in Illinois | https://www.enjoyillinois.com/plan-your-trip/seasonal-adventures/fall-in-illinois/amazing-fall-activities-illinois/