Today in 2013, the property of 793 Halowich Road was purchased and the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm was born! It has been an amazing three years, filled with much grace. God has truly blessed our endeavor, providing all that we need to continue our mission. We are especially grateful for the wonderful friends we have met who have visited or helped on the farm. Please pray for us, as we do for you!

The winter has been mild compared to the previous two - and we are not complaining. We took a day off and went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, where Larry was inspired by the cows and rabbits. The result was our getting four Champagne (for meat) and four French Angora (for wool) rabbits from a friend. No cows…yet.

What a year it was! So many blessings on the farm - here are just a few:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

We welcomed an old childhood friend to the farm - thanks so much Carolyn for making the trip. That same day, we brought a new puppy into the fold - a female English Springer Spaniel we named Rosy, for the Little Flower.

What a wonderful fall we are having on the farm! Eric our beekeeper has been up several times, first to harvest the honey then to build a protective cover for the hives - we are determined to have them make it through the winter this year.

This summer (as many summers do!) seemed to go by so quickly. Before it officially ends, we’d like to thank the many visitors and volunteers we were blessed to host during the months of July and August.

It’s been a busy few weeks on the farm. We had a HUGE harvest of potatoes that we sent in to the Catholic Worker soup kitchen in Manhattan, plus an abundance of cucumbers and onions that we brought to a parish in Providence, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Scranton.

Guess we are really farmers now - no turning back! The new tractor will make life much easier on the farm. Larry is already planning a cover crop for this winter. The frontloader will double as a snowplow during our NEPA snowstorms. 

First harvest of cabbage ready for shipment to the Catholic Worker House in lower Manhattan. Tons more cabbage to go, and about a thousand pounds of potatoes to follow. Looks like lots of cabbage and potato stew will be on the menu.

We are so pleased to share the news of the priestly ordination of our own Father John Gribowich for the Diocese of Brooklyn on Saturday, June 27, 2015. He was ordained by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and vested by his mentors, Msgr. John Grabish and Fr. Michael Perry at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

We got pigs! Two little piglets, very cute - impossible to catch! With our good friend Tim, we will be raising them through the fall and enjoying fresh pork this winter. Tim and his daughter Kelly built a nice pig pen up near the field.

First planting of the season! Many thanks to our friends at Willow Haven Farm in New Tripoli, PA, for donating a wide variety of plants to us, including cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and more! With no frost in the forecast, we took a chance and began planting already. Anyone who wants to help, just let us know! 

A great day for sheep shearing! The weather could not have been better - thank you God! We had some local families and a recent King's College graduate for the event, and the sheep were very cooperative (though Missy gave us a bit of a hard time). They look fantastic in their new do’s and are much cooler now!

It's been a busy April on the farm. A wonderful group of students from John Mischler's biology class at King's College spent a day with us building some raised beds. The students were respectful and worked very hard - we are grateful for their service. Our own Our Lady of Victory Parish brought some of the recently confirmed eighth graders to the farm to learn about Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin and to experience farm life a bit.

Meet Clara our new milk goat! Just picked her up this morning and she is adjusting to the sheep in the pasture on a rainy day. Can't wait to milk her for the first time later today. Been a while since we had our goats in milk. She is a little on the skinny side since she just kidded. But nothing some fresh hay and grain won't cure.

Today marks two years of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm, and what a wonderful present we have received. Our ewe Ivy gave birth to a little lamb this morning - we've named her Louise after Deacon John's mom. It is still too cold outside, so she is sharing the kitchen with Didi. They seem to be getting along quite well. 

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our newest ewe! She was born this morning and since it is so bitterly cold outside we brought her in where it is warm and we are bottle feeding her. Her name is Didi (deedee) which is short for Dorothy Day. She seems healthy and happy, and is making one heck of a ruckus in her crate.

It has been a cold January in northeastern PA. We are busy keeping the fire going and tending to the animals. It became clear that we had too many animals to care for, and after prayerful discernment, decided to limit the herd to our sheep and alpacas. The goats have been given new homes - better homes, in fact.

Though we were not able to attend the March for Life this year, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm is with all the marchers in spirit and in prayer.