January 1 -- World Day of Peace

February 1 -- St. Brigid/Bridget, patroness of dairy workers

February 1 -- St. Fiacre, patron of gardeners

April -- Rogation Days

    Rogation Days were customarily the three days preceding the Feast of the Ascension in which prayers were offered for a bountiful harvest.  The rise of Christian environmentalism has stimulated new interest in this tradition.   They may now be celebrated at any time when it is appropriate to ask that gardens, fields, and orchards be blessed during the coming season.   

April -- Earth Day

Last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in May -- Soil and Water Stewardship Week is a program of the National Association of Conservation Districts that is celebrated from the last Sunday in April to the First Sunday in May.   Its goal is to awaken in all Americans their responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of America's precious soil and water resources.  Click here for information.

May 15 -- Saint Isidore the Farmer, patron of farmers

    Isidore is the patron saint of farmers, farm workers, and the U.S. National Catholic Rural Life Conference.  He shared what he had--even his meals--with the poor, often giving them the more liberal portions.  Tradition has it that he had a great love of animals.  It is said that on a winter day he took pity on some hungry birds and poured half of his sack of corn upon the ground for the birds, despite the mocking of witnesses.  When he reached the mill, however, the bag was full, and the corn, when it was ground, produced double the expected amount of flour. (A Guide to the Saints by Kristin E. White)

June 13 --  St. Anthony of Padua, patron of harvests and the poor

July 11 -- St. Benedict, patron of farm workers

July 12 -- St. John Gualbert, patron of foresters

July 14 -- Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, patroness of ecology and the environment

August 15 -- Assumption Day Blessing of Produce

    On August 15, or another appropriate day, the produce of fields, gardens, and orchards may be blessed. 

September 17 -- St. Maria, patroness of farm wives

October 4 -- St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology

    By official designation of Pope John Paul II, St. Francis of Assisi is patron of ecology.  While Francis loved nature and wrote Canticle of the Sun, he was above all a friend of the poor.  It was his struggle with himself to love perfectly the poor that gave rise to the humility in which he became a brother to all creation.  The Feast of St. Francis is an especially good time to address questions of environmental justice, particularly environmental racism and environmental injury to the poor.  It is also a good time to have a Blessing of the Animals.

October -- World Food Day

November -- Fast for World Harvest

    The Thursday before Thanksgiving.

November 3 -- St. Martin de Porres, patron of social justice

November 30 -- St. Andrew the Apostle, patron of fishermen

Prayers for Special Occasions-

    The Book of Blessings and Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers (available from USCC Office for Publishing and Promotion Services, 1-800-235-8722) contain complete services for special occasions such as the ones above.  These services provide an excellent opportunity to integrate worship and prayer with daily environmental justice activities.    

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