IGP

MODULE 1

2.An alma mater hymn is not just any ordinary “song”; it is the official “anthem” of
an educational institution. It is therefore important for a school to have an alma
mater hymn; it gives a sense of belonging, comradeship, pride and loyalty to
the school.It identifies the school and its students.
The essence of the school anthem is to rouse the spirits of the children and uplift their souls. Not only this, it
enthuses them with pride for being a part of an institution which makes them hold their heads high. It is the
overwhelming feeling of loyalty and faith which sums up the word 'School Anthem'.

Your alma mater is your old school, college or university. ... Alma mater comes from two Latin words
meaning "nourishing or bountiful mother." Originally it was used as a term by the ancient Romans to describe
their Goddesses, but by the early eighteenth century in Britain it had come to refer to one's university.

You sing it and learn [the alma mater],” said seventh grader Colby Mack, “then
you love it. It also teaches you school spirit.”
Many teachers feel the same way.
“Singing the alma mater shows a strong degree of student and faculty devotion
to the school, and an investment in the school’s good name,” said Student
Services Director Mrs. Susan Poncy. “When we all stand and sing the alma
mater together, it is an opportunity to demonstrate our reverence and loyalty to
Benjamin.”
“I think the alma mater is a fabric of school culture,” said Head of the Middle
School Mr. Charles Hagy. “It brings you together and it is a spiritual way to
celebrate the School. Students and faculty share a bond by singing the alma
mater and celebrating the school,” he said.
However, some students think the song is unnecessary.
”The alma mater is waste of time and we miss some of A period because of it,”
said seventh grader Christian Smith. “The school could [have students] show
spirit by adding more spirit days and things like that.”

Other resources
Why was he canonized a Saint? It is because of his heroic practice of Christian virtues. He was
canonized a Saint because he practiced the Christian virtues in a heroic way like a martyr
offering one’s life to Christ. He had that deep love for the Eucharist, affectionate love for Mary
and total commitment to Church’s life. He gave importance to prayer. He attended Holy Mass
daily before going to his work. When he had a day off, St. Isidore made it a point to spend extra
time adoring Jesus in the Church. On holidays, St. Isidore and his wife went to a few
neighboring parishes for a one day pilgrimage.

He was very charitable to the poor. Although he was poor himself, yet this did not hinder him
from helping the poor who were in need. And he doled out help to the poor out of his own
earnings and never from the income of his Master.

He was a faithful husband influencing his wife Maria Torribia live a holy life that she too later
was pronounced blessed by Pope Innocent XII in 1697.

He practiced virtue of chastity in a heroic way. When their only son died, he and his wife agreed
to live a life of chastity and vowed continence by living in separate houses.

He was a lover of nature. He sticked to be a farmer throughout his life. He could have changed
or shifted to another occupation that would yield more financial benefits but he did not because
in the plants, trees, etc., he always felt the presence of God. He was a lover of animals too.

He was dedicated to his work and hardworking so much so that his employer later treated him as
a brother and allowed him some privileges and liberties.

His Miracles

Conclusion

I, personally like St. Isidore to be venerated and his virtues imitated for the following reasons:

1. He is layman and a Patron Saint of the common tao, the farmers, laborers, the
poor the number of which is big in our country.
2. He is not a priest or a religious. Most of the saints who have love for the poor
are either a priest or a religious like St. Vincent the Paul a priest, St. Martin de
Porres, a religious brother.
3. He was a married man and truly lived a married life. In fact,he married Marria
Torribia and they had a son who later died. Married couples should invoke the
help of Saints Isidore and St. Mary Torribia who are both saints.

All especially the poor should have a devotion to St. Isidore next to jesus, Mary, Joseph.
Our parish is fortunate to have St. Isidore, our Patron Saint, because if everybody will imitate his
virtues of simplicity, humility, charity and of his being hardworking and at the same time finding
time to pray, we will in some way transform people lead a better holy life.

Because of his heroic act of practicing the virtues mentioned above,

Our Lord awarded him to perform miracles while on earth. It is said there were 400 reported
miracles before his canonization.

He was reported by co-farmers that he was absent from his farm work to be seen in prayer in the
Church. But his work was not left undone. His master tried to verify whether this was true. It
was indeed true. He saw two strangers, one of each side of Isidro. They disappeared when he
approached them. When asked whether somebody was helping him, Isidro answered no one was
helping him except God. His master realized that the strangers must have been angels.

Once a parish had a dinner, Isidore arrived early and went to the Church to pray. He arrived in
the parish hall late. He did not come home alone. He brought beggars too. The parishioners
were upset. What if there was not enough food for all these beggars? But the more filled up their
plates, the more there was for everybody else. St. Isidore said kindly, “There is always enough
for the poor of Jesus.”

A miracle supposedly witnessed by his fellow workers involved a sack of grain from which
Isidore feed the flock of starving birds one winter day. Upon reaching the mill, the sack proved
to be filled with to capacity and after being processed it produced the double usual amount of
flour.

He foretold the hour of his death. He died on May 15, 1170 at the age of sixty.
Among the major miracles attributed to San Isidro’s intercession was the sudden care of Philip
III of Spain. According to the story, King Philip suffered grievous illness at Casarubios del
Monte while on the way home from Lisbon, Portugal. The King’s physician gave up all hope of
cure for the ailing monarch. The relic of San Isidro was taken down in a procession and brought
to the chamber of the king who immediately got cured.

Another miracle was his body was discovered incorrupt in 1212. He was beatified by Pope Paul
V on June 4, 1619 and canonized a Saint by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. His incorrupt
body is now at the main Altar of the Cathedral of Madrid in an ornate reliquary.

About his wife, Santa Maria Torribia, she is called Maria dela Cabeza because her head is
brought in procession. She was beatified in 1697. Her feast is on September 14, She must have
been canonized a saint as she is called now also a Saint (we do not know yet when). Like St.
Isidore she led a virtues life, was committed to the family, had love for the land, served the poor
and had deep spirituality.

Other students believe that the song is not inspiring school spirit as it is
intended. “Because it is just a song about school, it’s not telling anything about
the school [or school spirit],” said seventh grader Zach Neidoff.

Module 2

Isidore is a reminder of the dignity of work, and that ordinary life can lead to
holiness. Legends about angel helpers and mysterious oxen indicate that his work was
not neglected and his duties did not go unfulfilled.
The lessons I've learned from his life story are that you don't need to be a priest to follow God, as shown by
St. Isidore, who was a farmer. Another is that no matter what you do, giving time for church or simply
praying can do wonders.

The life of Saint Isidore the Farmer is a vivid reminder that the Lord works in mysterious ways.
"Every one of us needs a half an hour of prayer each day – except when we are busy. Then we
need an hour."

Saint Isidore had his priorities in the right order. As a hired hand who had worked on
Juan de Vergas's farm since his teen years, Saint Isidore started his day, every day, with
Holy Mass, and then often stayed at the church after the Mass had ended. This did not
win him the praise of his co-workers, who often complained to the landowner that
Isidore was lazy and wasn't doing his fair share of the work. Isidore wasn't worried
about getting his work done, though: the Lord regularly sent angels to do Isidore's work
for him while He was at Mass.
Not only that, but the angels often plowed the fields alongside Isidore, who was flanked
on each side by a heavenly helper as he worked in constant prayer. Three rows were
tilled as Isidore walked his singular row.

2. was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the
Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, El Gobernador, Jalisco and of La Ceiba,
Honduras.

The busier you are, the more you need to pray.

We are busy.

Too busy.

So busy that prayer time gets pushed farther down the to-do list. St. Francis de Sales's
popular quote and St. Isidore's life remind us that,

"Every one of us needs a half an hour of prayer each day – except when we are busy. Then we
need an hour."

Saint Isidore had his priorities in the right order. As a hired hand who had worked on
Juan de Vergas's farm since his teen years, Saint Isidore started his day, every day, with
Holy Mass, and then often stayed at the church after the Mass had ended. This did not
win him the praise of his co-workers, who often complained to the landowner that
Isidore was lazy and wasn't doing his fair share of the work. Isidore wasn't worried
about getting his work done, though: the Lord regularly sent angels to do Isidore's work
for him while He was at Mass.

Not only that, but the angels often plowed the fields alongside Isidore, who was flanked
on each side by a heavenly helper as he worked in constant prayer. Three rows were
tilled as Isidore walked his singular row.

Even today, Spanish communities depend on the intercession of Saint Isidore to provide
a plentiful harvest and healthy animals.
Imagine the shock on his disgruntled workmates's faces as their pre-occupied Isidore
finished his daily work even though he had put in fewer hours than they.

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16).

2. The Lord elevates the humble.

Isidore, born to a poor but pious Catholic family in Spain, never sought a life of honor,
power, or wealth. He was content to work the land; nay, he loved the land! As we see
throughout history, the Lord chooses the humble and works through them to let His
glory shine. The 400+ miracles associated with Saint Isidore, both during his earthly life
and after he went to heaven, demonstrate how Isidore, in his poverty of spirit, gave
himself completely to the will of the Father, depending on Him for all and trusting in
His Providence unwaveringly, and allowing Him to work Divinely through his humanity.

"God is opposed to the proud but gives Grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

3. The Lord provides for those who give from

their poverty.
Isidore wasn't only poor in spirit. As a farmer, Saint Isidore wasn't a wealthy man and
barely scraped by with his wife (also a canonized saint!) as it was. But he was known for
his unending generosity to the unfortunate. St. Maria Torribia, anticipating that her
kind-hearted husband would frequently bring home hungry locals, learned to always
keep a pot of stew simmering on the stove.

One night, when Isidore brought home more folks than Maria had planned for, his wife
sadly told Isidore that she wouldn't have enough to feed everyone. When Isidore told her
to peer into the almost-empty pot, she discovered more than enough to feed their poor
guests. There are also many accounts of Isidore feeding local animals from a
miraculously refilled grain bag. The Lord consistently multiplied Isidore and Maria's
charitable efforts.

"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed
for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness" (2 Corinthians 9:10).

4. There is honor in work.

God Himself is the Ultimate Worker, the Divine Laborer. We can look to our Creator to
see that work is a worthwhile and honorable endeavor, but especially so when we offer
our toils to Him.
Regardless of the career or job you have, as a cardiologist, a heavy crane operator, a
grocery store cashier, or a farmer, "… whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1
Corinthians 10:31).

Not only did Isidore happily do back-breaking work that many today would consider
lowly, but he prayed constantly from sunrise to sundown, a living reminder of St. Paul's
exhortation to

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Learn more about Saint Isidore the Farmer's life here.

Find an ordinary saint to mentor you on your path to sainthood.

The Lord sends us saints from diverse lifestyles to inspire us to embrace lives of holiness
no matter our vocations. We can all recount the stories of saintly priests, nuns, kings,
queens, martyrs, virgins. But He also provides us shining examples of devotion in
ordinary people, like us, who lived their lives with remarkable purity, devotion, and
humility.

Grant we beseech You, merciful Lord, through the intercession of St. Isidore, farmer
and confessor, not to let us be vain with the wisdom of the world, but by his merits and
example, let us in all humility always do what is pleasing to You. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.