SW News: Cardinal Carlos Osoro of Madrid Archdiocese in Spain officially declared the closure of the Holy Year dedicated to St Isidore Labrador in the capital on Monday, May 15. At the collegiate church dedicated to the saint in the city, he celebrated Holy Mass which was attended by Cardinals Antonio Maria Rouco Varela and Aquilino Bocos along with the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Bernadito Auza.

It was during this Holy Year that the so-called incorrupt body of the patron saint of agriculturists was exposed for veneration since 1985. During his homily, the cardinal stressed the virtues of the saint who was a layman, a husband and a father of a family. He also reiterated the role of Spanish evangelization around the world in spreading devotion to this saint beyond the boundaries of the country.

The highlight of the conclusion of the Holy Year was the distribution of 17 first-class relics of St Isidore. A Philippines parish dedicated to the saint south of the capital Manila was fortunate to receive a relic of St Isidore who is hugely popular in the archipelago thanks to the Spanish colonial legacy. The vicar Fr Eugene Fadul collected the relic on behalf of the parish. He said the saint and his wife St Maria de la Cabeza are highly venerated in his country for growth in faith and Christian life. He said the holy relic is a symbol of the accompanying presence of the saint to help parishioners grow in love and the service of God.

A parish in Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife dedicated to the saint and his spouse was also blessed with a relic of the saint and it was received by Fr Javier Jose Jimenez. According to Fr Alberto Fernandez, the episcopal delegate for the Causes of the Saints, the 17 relics are the last of the lot as they are all taken from fragments of Saint Isidore’s skin which adhered to the cloth that wrapped his body.

Attending the Mass in the capital were the President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Diaz Ayuso, Mayor Jose Luis Martinez Almeida and the delegate of the socialist government Francisco Martin.