A Work of Mercy
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord,
Amen.
St Isidore Farm always amazes me this time of year. There is new life everywhere. God literally “renews the face of the earth”. The photos below say it better than I can.
Breathe in me O Holy Spirit
that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit
that my works, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart O Holy Spirit
that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit
to defend that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit
that I always may be holy.
St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)
St Joseph: "the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father"Dear Benefactors and Friends
We wish you a Blessed Christmas from St Isidore Farm. The year 2021 has come and gone without much change. We continue to pray, work, and study as we wait with all of humanity for an end to the covid-19 pandemic.
2021 News: We partnered with a local agency to provide short term emergency housing for abused women in our area. Strong winds blew down a big elm tree next to the old farmhouse. We thank God it did not fall on the house! We were blessed to have Randy, Tristan, Geneva and Doug use their chainsaws to cut up and remove it. We plan to remove several other dangerous elm trees when we can afford it.
2022 Goal: We will focus on the Work of Mercy “bury the dead.” Low-income families need financial assistance for burial cost in our area. With your help, we hope to begin a $5000 fund as a start toward answering this need.
We look forward to a good year for all in 2022. We keep the intentions of those in need and those of our benefactors and friends in prayer. Thank you for your prayers and support for us.
Sincerely,
Ellen, Randy, Geneva and Janey
Dorothy Day said: “Our rule is the Works of Mercy.” Here at St Isidore Farm we try to put that rule into action and perform both spiritual and corporal works of mercy as we are able in our rural setting. Such as the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead. At least once a year we read in our local paper or on a bulletin board a request for financial assistance to help with burial cost.
Our 2022 work of mercy goal is to start a fund to provide financial assistance as we are able to bury the dead in our rural area. If anyone is interested in helping us build this fund please send a donation to St Isidore Farm, Inc. 2259 Kilborn Ln, Mesa Idaho 83643.
Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy
Corporal Works of Mercy
To feed the hungry. To give drink to the thirsty. To clothe the naked. To visit the imprisoned. To shelter the homeless. To visit the sick. To bury the dead. To care for our Earth.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
To admonish the sinner. To instruct the ignorant. To counsel the doubtful. To comfort the sorrowful. To bear wrongs patiently. To forgive all injuries. To pray for the living and the dead. To pray for protection and care of our Earth.
Mission. Dorothy Day, cofounder of Catholic Worker, said “Our rule is the Works of Mercy”. St Isidore Farm’s Mission is the “Works of Mercy”, both corporal and spiritual. It is our desire to make St Isidore Farm a place of hospitality and healing for all who need a place and time to process life’s challenges. Our works of mercy include mercy for our earth in the spirit of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” On Care for Our Common Home.
Vision. We envision a farm environment with structured living that combines solitude with community, farm work with creativity and prayer with process.
Progress. As catholic workers, we started a mini-farm in Mesa, Idaho in November 2015. In July 2016 we took in our first homeless guest. That same summer we installed a small manufactured home to use as a guesthouse. Its not always easy on the Mesa. During snowmagedden 2017, we lost our shop and barn under extreme snow weights. However, God does provide; that same year we replaced both by purchasing the adjacent 10 acre property with a simple house, wood shop and barn. Since then, we have hosted guests in recovery from all kinds of life challenges; single individuals and even a family. Short term and long term. As a work of mercy for our earth, we planted 150 trees in 2019. We grew alfalfa and during this pandemic donated a portion of this years crop to a neighbor having a hard time feeding his calves. We prayed.
St Isidore Farm 