Pilgrimage for the Earth -Reflection

Chris Merkel shows us gardens at Michaela Farm.

--The Way of the Cross, the Way of the Earth--

Today our Earth follows the way of Jesus to the cross. Forests are clearcut; habitats are contaminated; mountains are completely destroyed by mining; the gulf of Mexico is overwhelmed with billowing pools of oil. It's as if the Earth itself is bleeding from the depths, hemorrhaging from years of abuse. Who will hear the cry of the Earth? The Earth is suffering, abused, dying. Who will hear the cry of the Earth?

Believing the way of the Earth need not end at the cross, we gathered for the Pilgrimage for the Earth on June 18^th and 19^th 2010. We gathered to dream of resurrection, to dream of food and soil sustainability. We sought better ways to grow food in cooperation with nature. We came together as Precious Blood folks at Salem Heights in Dayton, to pray, learn, and journey together.

Friday Evening Mr. Jim Hoorman, a soil scientist from the Mercer County OSU extension office, joined us. He shared with us a dialogue on healthy soil, cover crops, and conservation farming.

For healthy soil Mr. Hoorman recommends limited soil tillage. No-till is better than conventional tillage because it holds nutrients, retains organic matter, and decreases compaction. Hoorman confessed however that most topsoils on farms in the U.S. are being depleted. This happens when the soil is tilled breaking down plant matter and releasing nutrients. When plants aren't already growing to absorb the nutrients they are released to the atmosphere or washed with topsoil in water and wind erosion. Erosion also creates problems like in Grand Lake St. Marys when nutrients become too concentrated and cause toxic blue green algae to proliferate. On the other hand, when soils are healthy, untilled, and uncompacted they better absorb rainwater and hold fertilizing nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen.

After no-till Mr. Hoorman recommends cover crops as the second step in conservation farming. He says that most farmland is covered with crops only about a third of the time. In the winter months the land is sometimes plowed and usually unplanted. Why not sow plants that will capture the nutrients, prevent topsoil erosion, break up compaction, and augment soil nutrients for the next year's crop? Some cover crops fix nitrogen in the soil, others release phosphorous, and others just do an incredible job of pushing roots deep, aerating the soil. Mr. Hoorman recommended cover crops as he tipped his hat, “Just like farmers cover their heads, soil deserves to be covered.”

Through Jim Hoorman's talk we learned how the soil suffers when over-tilled and left uncovered during much of the year. With no-till and cover crops we learned faithful ways to respond to the cry of the Earth.

Continuing to listen to the Earth, on Saturday morning we traveled to Michaela Farm sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, Indiana. As the summer breeze kept us cool in the hot sun, we explored the large restored barn, the acres of gardens, and the animal pastures. There Sr. Carolyn Hoff and Mr. Chris Merkel gave us a tour and shared their experiences in natural farming. They showed us the large produce and herb gardens on the rolling hills. They grow many kinds of vegetables, fruits, and spices. They raise Beefalo, a lean cow and buffalo mix, on the nearby pastures. Chickens are pasture raised for meat and eggs while also serving as insect and weed control. Like any farm there is no end to the hard work!

Sr. Hoff and Mr. Merkel gave us quite an education on natural farming. Although they gave up their certified organic standing due to extensive costs and paperwork, they continue in ways of natural farming that best care for land and resources. They use crop rotations, cover crops, compost, mulch, and non-chemical pest control. Mr. Merkel shared with us how some weeds showed signs of better soil quality and which cover crops worked well. We were learning how everything affects everything else.

Hoff and Merkel also explained their Community Supported Agriculture program, CSA. They have grown a network of people who want fresh produce and meat. People pay a monthly or yearly fee to support the farm and receive regular baskets of produce during the growing season. This way the farm has secure income throughout the year, and the people are assured fresh products regularly. This balances well the costs and risks between farmers and consumers. Michaela's natural farming practices showed us more faithful ways to respond to the cry of the Earth.

After exploring the way of the earth at Michaela Farm we returned to Dayton to visit a parish garden and enter a time of prayer. Ms. Sue Sack of Englewood, Ohio, showed us God's Garden that she coordinates at St. Paul's Church. They donate all the produce from the medium size garden to local soup kitchens. Ms. Sack shared with us how her family has journeyed in hands-on ways from fixing up their house all the way to growing their food in ways that honor human and earthly life. She shared the challenges of gardening when the weeds get too big as rain is frequent and the joys of growing food when the produce is plentiful. Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and Teilhard de Chardin, she led us through a prayer time attentive to our brothers and sisters among creation. I was especially moved by the way her prayer and life show a real integration between living in good relationship with nature, the poor, and coming to live at peace with self and loved ones. I could tell that Ms. Sack has come to hear well the cry of the Earth.

From soil sustainability with Mr. Hoorman to natural gardening at Michaela Farm to Ms. Sack's witness of life lived in harmony with nature we have come to know more deeply the way of the Earth.

I offer many thanks to the planning team who brought the pilgrimage together. Sr. Mary Wendeln, Mr. Joe Gigandet, Sr. Judy Niday, Br. Nick Renner, and I contributed many hours to dreaming, planning, and sharing our stories. I also thank the Precious Blood Sisters of Dayton who hosted our time at Salem Heights and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood who contributed generously from the Fr. Brunner Peace and Justice Fund. Finally, thank you to all the folks who participated in the pilgrimage making such a great experience possible.

Although the Earth is suffering and we are suffering from mining, industry, oil spills, and injustice, perhaps we can still come to live more faithfully. How we grow and eat our food can be an act of living in right relationship with the world. May our journey toward eating and farming wholeness continue to pull us more deeply into the way of the cross, the way of the Earth, the way of new life!

The whole crew at Michaela Farm