Fiacre

Saint Fiacre was born in Ireland toward the end of the sixth century and was formed in monastic life, where he learned both prayer and the healing use of herbs. Ordained a priest and later made an abbot, he longed for deeper solitude; when crowds sought him out for counsel and cures, he left his homeland and sailed to France. In 628 he arrived at Meaux, where Bishop Faro granted him a wooded place in the region of Brie. There Fiacre built a humble hermitage, an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a hospice for travelers, and he cultivated a garden of vegetables and medicinal plants. His days were marked by fasting, vigils, and manual labor, and many testified that God worked healings through his prayers and touch. Fiacre died on 18 August 670 and was buried near his hermitage, which became a place of enduring pilgrimage. He is especially venerated as patron of gardeners and those suffering from hemorrhoids, and is associated locally with Hermit’s Well. His feast day is August 30.