Saintly Saturday - St. Isidore of Seville

St. Isidore of Seville was born around the year 560 in Cartagena, Spain. He was born into a family of saints & leaders (two of his brothers were bishops & one sister was an abbess - all three became saints). His parents died when he was young, so he was educated by older brother, Leander, who, despite being a leader, was not a patient teacher. Isidore’s education was led by force, including physical punishment.

He felt rejected & that he was a failure, so he ran away. While sitting alone, he observed water drops, that while slow & small, had worn holes in a rock over time. Inspired, he realized that perseverance even at a slow pace could benefit him in his education. He returned to his exasperated brother, who placed him in a cell (perhaps a monastery?) to finish studies & keep him from running away again (which he did not). Isidore discovered that he had a love of learning & went on to become a great teacher.

Isidore started seminaries all over Spain. These seminaries included a well-rounded educational basis for the students. He authored numerous books on geography, philosophy, theology, grammar, & more. His most famous is his Etymologies, an encyclopedia of various educational subjects.

He succeeded his brother, Leander, as bishop of Seville & led for 37 years. Working closely with the government, he set a model for representative government throughout Europe. He also aided in the conversion of the barbaric Visigoths.

St. Isidore died around 80 yrs of age in 636, surrounded by many of the poor he helped. His final act of charity was all of his possessions to the poor. He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1722 & because of his great love of learning & wealth of knowledge, he is the patron saint of the internet & computer programmers. We celebrate his feast day on April 4.

St. Isidore of Seville, Pray for Us!