A Poor Clare's feast day menu -- Assisi style
A Saint for symptoms, soil, spades & such ...
Photo by Duncan McNab on Unsplash
Breuil, Ireland—600-670 A.D.
In the misty green hills of 7th-century Ireland, St Fiacre was the brother of the revered St Syra of Troyes. Like her, Fiacre found his calling inside the quiet walls of an Irish monastery. These esteemed monastic communities were the source of:
- great libraries and laboratories of their time,
- preserving ancient wisdom and
- studying the secrets of healing herbs.
Over time, Fiacre’s profound knowledge and holiness was a beacon, drawing crowds of followers who sought his counsel. This wave of humanity shattered the sacred solitude and silence he cherished, creating a storm in his otherwise peaceful soul.
The French Frontier
Yearning for the voice of God, St Fiacre made a difficult decision. He left “home” for a new hermitage in the French forest. Traveling across the sea, he found a secluded spot near a freshwater spring in the region of Brie. There, he met St Faro, the Bishop of Meaux. Recognizing Fiacre’s sanctity, the bishop offered him land for a dwelling saying, “take as much as you can enclose, by the light of this single day.”
St Fiacre, a humble man of deep faith, did not use axe nor oxen. Instead, he walked the promised perimeter of the land, dragging his spade behind him. Allegedly, wherever metal touched mud, trees toppled and thickets tore, clearing the perfect path. A local woman, witnessing the falling timber and turned earth, cried foul; accusing him of sorcery. But Bishop Faro, seeing the hand of God; declared it a miracle. St Fiacre’s goodly garden became a healing haven and wellspring of peace.
Healing Hands
Within the safety of his sacred-garden, St Fiacre lived a life of prayer and service. Allegedly, he became known for his healing hands. The sick and suffering traveled far and wide to seek his intercession. Ancient records speak of the blind seeing and the feverish finding freedom.
- Tumors and fistulas—or “le fic de St Fiacre”—melted away at his touch.
- Hemorrhoids were known as "St Fiacre’s figs" until he dried them up.
- His hermitage grew into a hospice, where broken bodies could mend—including mind and spirit.
Seine at Marne, France—Aug 30/Sept 1 in 670 A.D.
When St Fiacre entered his eternal rest, his body was laid to rest in his chapel, but relics--and eponyms--were distributed across Europe.
- Allegedly, the word "acre" was a loving derivative or abbreviation of his name, enumerating the plots of land he cleared for his hospice.
- In 17th-century Paris, a renowned hostelry named the Hôtel de St Fiacre rented horse-drawn carriages for travel. The carriages became known as “fiacres.” The name stuck with the drivers and—through no effort of his—he became the patron of cab and taxi drivers.
- He is the intercessor for an array of trades: herbalists, botanists, gardeners, farmers tilling soil, florists arranging blooms and all seeking his healing—through the grace of God.
His feast day is August 30.
A Prayer for his Patronage
Your spade drew lines of sacred ground, where miracles of love were found.
You tended gardens, the sick and maimed. By God’s own grace, you healed the lame.
You drove a cart on France’s streets, a humble soul in every feat.
St Fiacre friend, O hear our call; when symptoms-slow, begin, befall.
A garden green, a taxi’s start, a healing hand; a faithful heart.
Against the barren, barred and bruised; your holy name is often used.
We seek your help in field or fare, in every journey, every prayer;
protect each driver, hands to wheel, please ask of God all hearts be healed.
Sources:
August 30th St. Fiacre | The Saint of the Day Podcast - YouTube (2-3 minutes)
Butler A (n.d.). Butler's lives of the saints
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