A Summer of Ora et Labora
-
July 10, 2023The summer of '23 is unfolding as a time of good prayer, good friends and edifying hard work. We had a great day of planting with the Freyne and Cummings families. We planted potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, and peppers, then shared some ice cream treats on the deck. It was a lot of fun.
Our 25th anniversary trip to Rome did not disappoint! Lots of good prayer, food, and rest. Our parish was on pilgrimage at the same time, so we caught up with them a few times for tours and to celebrate Mass. An old friend of Carmina’s from her graduate school days at Providence College is a Dominican priest assigned at the Angelicum. Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P. celebrated a private Mass for us on Corpus Christi in the Chapel of the Patrons of Europe in the Vatican grotto. We also met up with our good friend Fr. Michael Wurtz, CSC, who was in town to defend his doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at Sant’ Anselmo. He was awarded an SLD (Doctorate in Sacred Liturgy) magna cum laude - we are very proud of him! Overall, a very blessed trip. Be assured we kept all of you in our prayers, as we are very grateful for our mission and for the encouragement and support we have received.
Our kid goats were finally born - Clara gave us two does, and Daisy gave is one. Stella, Bella and Lily are doing well, and Larry hopes to start milking in a few weeks.
The youth group from St. Matthew’s in East Stroudsburg spent a morning with us staking up the tomato plants and mounding the potatoes - a sign that the plants are thriving. They also did a little weeding before we let them play with the sheep and goats a bit. Visitors always love the animals!
Matt, Abby, and Justin, some young adults from Lancaster and Harrisburg, did a lot of weeding and mulching for us. They worked hard in the hot sun. We prayed Daytime Prayer together, then had a wonderful theological conversation over lunch. They are looking forward to returning to help with some other projects.
Julietta and Gabby have sheep of their own and wanted to learn how to process it, so they came to the farm and we washed their own sheep’s wool. Their homework assignment is to pick what we washed so that next time we meet, we can run it through the drum carder and spin it up.
June 29 marked one year of our becoming a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt non-profit organization, and we have found it to be very fruitful. We are grateful to all who have donated to the farm and helped us feed our sheep (and goats and chickens), build fences and milking stations, and provide a means for us to offer hospitality to our volunteers. Peter Maurin’s vision of the agronomic university truly lives at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm, and it is only possible (and fun!) with your love and support. God’s providence never fails.
It’s been an amazing summer so far, and it is far from over. We have several visitors scheduled, including a group of seminarians from Philadelphia at the end of August.
Let’s keep each other in prayer. Send us your prayer requests and we will include them in our Morning Prayer.
