Fun in February

February brought a group of high school volunteers to the Farm. They were kept busy re-doing a porch, starting to enclose another porch, and putting up underpinning. We also spent an evening at our parish's fish fry!

Pete's new porch

Shannon's Completed Room (finished in March)

Before the group week, our friends at Jerusalem Farm came in for a few days. We helped our friend at his worm farm and CSA in Shinnston. As usual, we headed up to State College, PA for PASA's Farming for the Future Conference (with the Jerusalem Farmers and most of the Bethlehem Farmers.) If you're interested in organic and/or sustainable farming, you should check out the conference and PASA's website. There are a ton of resources and ways to get connected.

The Nazareth and Jerusalem Farmers!

Most of the Farmers from Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem Farm at PASA!

Finding Our Call to be Caretakers

By Brent Smith, Dominican University

My hopes of a weekend retreat enlivened by service and prayer were fulfilled by the simplistic,
community setting of Nazareth Farm. Taking a bucket shower was so freeing! Hearing a staff
member's voice echo through the wooded hills as he gave a scriptural reflection was empowering! I volunteered to spend a week in retreat while also participating in home construction work. Our time in reflection did not stop there- the Naz Farm community impressed me with its awareness of local history.

We use natural gas on a regular basis for many of our household needs. So much good has come from this resource, from preparing food to warming homes. How could we ever forget though that the process of extracting and sourcing natural gas might pollute waterways and cause other unforeseen environmental problems? As caretakers of this Earth, are we able to say we are properly informed? 

Coal-mining is an inseparable aspect of Appalachian history. As my fellow volunteers and I were driven to our work-sites, we passed through various towns that once were coal camps. Mining  generated many jobs while it also cost the lives of many people. One of the Naz Farm staff members read to us a prayerful poem from a miner who lost 29 fellow workers in a mining accident. When I saw the state's seal - featuring among other things, a miner holding a pickax - and held a large piece of coal, I felt I had gained a better understanding of this two-edged sword.

I love the Appalachian terrain with its many hills and valleys. Walking along the mountainside trails filled me with joy for our Earth. I have a hard time believing the destruction caused by land-stripping or mountain-top-removal, when workers use construction vehicles and explosives to collect a mere six percent of localized coal deposits. The beauty of Appalachia is 'plowed' and 'blown away' for the sake of this resource.

There is still hope, fellow stewards of Creation! Increasing our dependence on electricity may seem like the answer, but the coal burned to produce this energy source is another environmental problem. We are called as stewards to make an impact in government legislation by writing, calling, and expressing our informed opinions. We need to have a say in how Earth is cared for. In the words of Isaiah, reiterated by John the Baptist, we must be voices crying out in the wilderness (John 1:23). Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, the founder of the Sinsinawa Dominicans and the precursor of Dominican University, with profound courage spoke out against the mistreatment of Native Americans. This mistreatment indirectly included the abuse of Earth's resources. Fr. Samuel and the people of Appalachia alike call us to keep their lives in our prayers. We are also called to simplicity in every aspect of our lives.

Just a few pictures from the week:

Simple, musical fun on the first night!

The highest point on the Farm, the Rock!