Blessing of the fields procession at Farm and Ranch Museum

New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum (NMFRHM) will celebrate an historic tradition with the annual Blessing of the Fields procession, 10-11 a.m., Friday, May 12.

Visitors who come to the museum to participate in the procession will not be charged admission, NMFRHM said in a news release.

The procession around the museum grounds begins with the blessing of the animals, plants and acequia, the museum said. The Prayer of the Four Directions will be led by Patrick Narvaez, cacique of Corporacion de los Indigines de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Tortugas and Tortugas Pueblo. Leading the procession will be Most Reverend Peter Baldacchino, bishop of the Las Cruces Diocese. Students from Las Cruces Catholic Schools will be among the participants.

The bulto carried during the procession was created by Las Cruces artist Virginia Maria Romero. It is now part of the museum’s permanent collection. (Visit www.virginiamariaromero.com, scroll down and click on “Public Art” and “San Ysidro.”)

The museum will also have a plant sale as part of the festivities, including vegetables, flowers and desert plants grown in the museum’s greenhouse.

This is the 23^rd year the museum has hosted the procession, which focuses on a long and rich history, the news release said.

San Ysidro, patron saint of farmers, lived 1070-1130. (He died May 15.) San Ysidro was a farmworker in Spain, working in the fields for a wealthy landowner. Known as Isidore the Laborer and Isadore the Farmer, he was renowned for his devotion to God, his humility and his generosity to the less fortunate.

The story of San Ysidro has been passed down through the generations and still inspires many farmers and their families in the Mesilla Valley, the museum said. For many years, workers in San Miguel would make a pilgrimage each May, stopping at all the villages along the valley.

NMFRHM, 4100 Dripping Springs Road, can be reached at 575-522-4100.

Visit www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.