So this special day snuck up on me rather quickly. Thank you to our friend and dear customer for reminding me that this day was in fact TODAY and not tomorrow, I almost missed it!
When we picked the name of our farm we did not have our business in mind per say. Rather we wanted to name this little patch of earth that God gave us, after someone who would watch over it and guide it. Today I thought I would share that story with all of you.
In our Catholic family we hold our faith very near and dear to us. It guides us in everything we do, from fair business practices, to educating our children, and even in growing our food. It is a Christian tradition to pick names for our children and to give them names of those warriors who fought for Christ. An example of virtue and Christian strength that our children might look up to as they grow. God's saint's are those examples. So picking a name for our farm would just the same.
There were many choices and for some St. Francis may have been the most obvious choice. Many know him well as the lover of all things God created, especially the animals in nature. But our good Saint today is not St. Francis.
A Little About Our Patron
"St. Fiaker (Irish spelling) was nobly born in Ireland, and had his education under the care of a bishop of eminent sanctity, who was, according to some, Conan, Bishop of Soder, or the Western Islands. Looking upon all wordy advantages as dross, he left his country and friends in the flower of his age, and with certain pious companions sailed over to France. In quest of some solitude in which he might devote himself to God, unknown to the rest of the world. Divine Providence conducted him to St. Faro, who was the Bishop of Meaux, and eminent for sanctity. When St. Fiaker addressed himself to him, the prelate, charmed with the marks of extraordinary virtue and abilities which he discovered in this stranger, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest called Breuil, which was his own patrimony, two leagues from Meauz. In this place the holy anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell, with a small garden, and build an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in which he spent great part of the days and nights in devout prayer. He tilled his garden, and labored with his own hands for his subsistence. The life he led was most austere, and only necessity or charity ever interrupted his exercises of prayer and heavenly contemplation. Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor for relief. But, following an inviolable rule among the Irish monks, he never suffered any woman to enter the enclosure of his hermitage. St. Chillen, or Kilian, an Irishman of high birth, on his return from Rome, visited St. Fiaker, who was his kinsman, and having passed some time under his discipline, was directed by his advice, with the authority of the bishops, to preach in that and the neighboring dioceses. This commission he executed with admirable sanctity and fruit. St. Fiaker died about the year 670, on the 30th of August.
Reflection - Ye who love indolence, ponder well these words of St. Paul: "If any man will not work, neither let him eat."
Today's story comes from the lovely and well used book Pictorial Lives of the Saint with Reflections for Every Day of the Year. This particular book is used every day in our home school and a great way to start our day. With holy examples of lives lead.
You can see in the story here why we have chosen our dear St. Fiacre. A gardener himself and working to grow his own food along with charitable works towards the poor. He is the essence of what our farm stands for. We not only seek to grow our own food and medicine (for you are what you eat and drink!) but also create a space where we can take care of God's orphaned ones that need so much love and help. (See the story of how we grew our family through adoption here.)
Another story of our dear saint also says "...... that St. Faro allowed him as much land as he might surround in one day with a furrow; that Fiacre turned up the earth with the point of his crosier, and that an officious woman hastened to tell Faro that he was being beguiled; that Faro coming to the wood recognized that the wonder worker was a man of God and sought his blessing,..."
This is our favorite story because it describes our logo perfectly. The logo in the shape of the Chi Rho, which are the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek, is modified with the shovels which are a symbol of St. Fiacre along with the bishops staff down the middle representing Christ's bishops ,especially St. Faro. Our logo tells the story of St. Fiacre, who watches over our little farm. He who gardened and worked for Christ.
Our farm's patron was also known for helping other's heal, "His fame for miracles was widespread. He cured all manner of diseases by laying of his hands; blindness, polypus, fevers are mentioned, and especially a tumor or fistula called 'le vic de S. Fiacre"
While we labor to not just grow our own food for our family and take care of our children, who are no longer orphans, we also hope that with the help of our herbal products that we are able to bring some relief to other's as well.
To celebrate our day we have a special recipe to share with you from our friend and customer; a trained chef, Kris. We hope you enjoy and when you are in the garden, think of St. Fiacre!
St. Fiacre's Warm Strawberry Green Tea Vinaigrette
Read Previous Feast Day Posts
Garden Update on the Feast of St. Fiacre 2015
Our Baby Green House (and farm kids) with Free Game
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