How to Pray the Novena
Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Read the daily
scripture verse(s) and spend a few moments in meditation.
Pray the daily novena prayer
followed by the prayer in honor of St. Isidore.
Then pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three
times for the intention of the Holy Father.
Conclude with the Prayer for Rain and the Sign of
the Cross.
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Prayer in Honor of St. Isidore
O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, and who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, revealed Yourself the husbandman of our souls, deign, we pray, through the merits of Blessed Isidore, to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer, so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Rain
O God, in Whom we live and move, and have our being, grant us rain, in due abundance, that, being sufficiently helped with temporal gifts, we may the more confidently seek after eternal gifts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Day: Partnership with God (Gn 1:25 and 2:15)
God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. . . The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
Prayer: Grant we beseech You, merciful Lord, through the intercession of Blessed 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.
Second Day: Family Life in Christ (Joshua 24:15)
If it is displeasing to you to serve the LORD, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Prayer: We offer the sacrifice of praise, O Lord, and humbly pray that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and of St. Joseph, You may establish our families in peace and grace. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Third Day: Love of Neighbor (Romans 12:9-12)
Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Prayer: O God, You who make all things work together unto good for those who love You, give to our hearts an abiding love for You: so that the desires we conceive by Your inspiration may ever remain unchanged in spite of every temptation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fourth Day: Dignity of Work (2 Thessalonians 3:8-12)
In toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.
Prayer: O Lord, let us follow the blessed farmer Isidore’s example of patience and humility, and walk so faithfully in his footsteps that by his intercession in the evening of life, we can offer You a rich harvest of merits and good works. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fifth Day: Walking in the Presence of God (Micah 6:8)
You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you:Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Prayer: Breathe into our hearts, we beseech You, O Lord, a desire for heavenly glory, and grant that we may pass, bearing in our hands the sheaves of justice, to where the Blessed Isidore is resplendent with You in glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sixth Day: Stewardship of the Soul (James 5:7-10)
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not com-plain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Prayer: Pour down Your blessing, we beseech You, O Lord, upon Your people, and upon all the fruits of the earth, so that when collected they may be mercifully distributed to the honor and glory of Your holy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Seventh Day: Rural Works of Mercy (Leviticus 19:8-10)
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the LORD, am your God.
Prayer: May the grace of the Holy Spirit, we beseech You, O Lord, enlighten our hearts, and refresh them abundantly with the sweetness of perfect charity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eighth Day: Trust in Prayer (Philippians 4:4-7)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your re-quests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all under-standing will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who has said: Ask and your shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; grant, we beseech You, to us Your supplicants, the gift of Your most divine love, so that we may love You with our whole heart and in all our words and works, and never cease praising You. Who live and reign world without end. Amen.
Ninth Day: Sacrifice of Praise (Hebrews 13:15-16)
Through Christ then let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.
Prayer: Protect us, O Lord, who offer holocausts to You, and sear our hearts with the flame of Your divine charity, so that they may be ever more fervently prepared for sacrifice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Isidore was born at Madrid, Spain, in the latter half of the 12th century. For the greater part of his life he was employed as a laborer on a farm outside the city. Many marvelous happenings accompanied his lifelong work in the fields and continued long after his holy death. He was favored with celestial visions and, it is said, the angels sometimes helped him in his work in the fields. St. Isidore was canonized in 1622. In 1947, he was proclaimed the patron of the National Rural Conference in the United States. He is the patron of farmers, and his feast day is May 15th.