Saint Isidore of Seville (560–636)
Feast day is April 4―Patron Saint of the Internet
In the book, Heaven Help Us, Thomas J. Craughwell says… Back in 1999, some Catholics in the emerging dot-com industry petitioned Pope John Paul II for their own patron saint. They had someone in mind: the learned Spanish bishop Saint Isidore of Seville.
Why choose an obscure Spanish bishop as a patron of the most exciting advance in information technology since the printing press? St. Isidore died in 636, so obviously he never surfed the web. But, in his time, he did something that can be regarded as just as amazing―he compiled a twenty-volume encyclopedia of all existing knowledge. This encyclopedia, the dot-com Catholics said, could be regarded as the world’s first database.
Such a compendium was the labor of a lifetime, and Bishop Isidore felt it worth the effort. More than a century before his birth, Rome had fallen to barbarians. One by one the Roman legions withdrew from the empire’s provinces; as they retreated the barbarian tribes advanced, burning libraries, smashing artworks, damaging aqueducts and public baths beyond repair, and leaving cities and towns depopulated and in ruins. For men such as Isidore, the destruction of Roman civilization was unspeakably painful. And so, like monks and bishops in other corners of the old Roman world, he decided to act before the glories and accomplishments of Rome were forgotten forever.
In his encyclopedia, Isidore recorded the essentials of Roman law, government, medicine, architecture, and agriculture; he even noted how to build roads and make furniture. It was a breathtaking achievement, a tribute not only to his own wide-ranging intellect but also to his hopes for the future. The Web is about collecting, preserving, and disseminating information―precisely what Isidore accomplished in his life. So until a webmaster or blogger is canonized, St. Isidore of Seville seems to be the right patron for the Internet.
Saint Isidore of Seville (4 April): Butler’s Lives of the Saints (5:57)
Fun Fact about St. Isidore of Seville
He comes from a family of saints. Isidore’s family was one truly full of saints. His parents, Severianus and Theodora, were well known for their faith and piety. His siblings are all recognized as saints by the Catholic Church. His brother Saint Leander of Seville became the Archbishop of Seville and was a close friend of Pope Saint Gregory the Great. He has been credited with bringing the Nicene Creed to the west. His feast day is March 13.
Isidore’s brother Saint Flugentine of Ecija became Bishop of Ecija. His feast day is January 14. His sister Florentina of Cartagena became a nun and at ran over forty convents in her lifetime. Her feast day is August 28.
Prayer. Our Father, we humbly seek the intercession of St. Isidore, guardian of the digital realm. Shield us from the temptations that lurk in the shadows of the internet. Grant us wisdom to discern truth from deception, and strength to resist distractions that lead us astray. May we use technology for good, fostering love and connection in Your name. Amen
