The road up to Catherine’s House retreat center and organic farm begins nice and wide and steadily thins until you are navigating a thread of a dirt road. Just like the silk thread that connects the pendulum to the motion works on a French mantle clock, the natural road to Earth Abides Catholic Worker Farm is the connection between the weight of the outside world and this community on a hill.
Retreat Center and Organic Farm mesh like clock gears
Upon first glance, all the connections between Catherine’s House retreat center for HIV/AIDS patients, the organic gardens, and the Catholic Worker Farm can be as confusing as examining the gears of a mechanical clock. But if you look closely you’ll see how all the different parts mesh together within this community to measure the seasons and provide “time” for visitors and members to grow.
The streams were dry,
Pond at Catholic Worker Farm.
The sun was high,
And all was right with the land.
A day marked by quiet and work
I arrived at the end of road, also known as Earth Abides Catholic Worker Farm, just in time to participate in the late morning quiet meditation period at Catherine’s House. With the resonating tone of a strike on the brass bowl, four of us relaxed into a quiet period of prayer and contemplation. Similar to the second bell strike of a French Comtoise prayer clock, we were brought back into the gravity of present.
Vision for Earth Abides
Chris Montesano helped sprout Earth Abides Catholic Worker Farm over forty years. He was very close with Dorothy Day, one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, and was looking to create an expanded version of the Catholic Worker House by incorporating a farm. He helped acquire the 80 acres of land that is held in a nonprofit trust. Chris has stepped back from the rigors of operating the farm and retreat center full-time. He and his wife have moved down the hill to Sonora, but frequently visit the community.
Tom, Chelsea and Marcus, individuals who are committed to Earth Abides Catholic Worker Farm and Catherine’s House.
New committed caretakers
With Chris scaling back his direction and management of the farm, new community members were sought out to fill the vacuum. Three individuals have committed themselves to living in a community which manifests the mission of the Catholic Worker movement and the grace of God. Just as God bestows his grace on all humankind, these folks are bestowing the grace of acceptance and healing for HIV/AIDS patients, caregivers and those who wish to experience the community of Earth Abides Catholic Worker in Sheep Ranch.
Community is central focus
Chelsea, Marcus and Tom have committed themselves to working in the spirit and mission of Earth Abides for a tenure they hope will be as long as the previous caretaker, Chris. What is central is that they are all walking this huge labyrinth together to sustain and build the community. Far more important than any university training, past volunteer work or religious experience is the calling they have heard in their heart, and the actions of their hands, for the service of others while living at Earth Abides.
Hospitality, farming, discussion
Fresh organic strawberries and grapes for supper at Earth Abides.
The three legs of the Earth Abide Catholic Worker Farm mission are hospitality, farming and discussion. The hospitality takes the shape of hosting nine HIV/AIDS patient and care giver retreats a year, individual retreats, and accommodating volunteers from World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). The organic farming focuses on a bio intense method with an emphasis on seed collecting. Discussions, formal and informal, are integral to creating and sharing knowledge and awareness on a variety of topics. Open mind, open heart.
Spiritual oil
The oil that keeps all the operations running relatively smoothly is the faith of the community members. Chelsea, Marcus and Tom each have their individual religious faith and practices which seem to neatly overlap and compliment each other. Earth Abides is a living, breathing organism. There are seedlings to be planted, chickens to be fed, building maintenance, and house keeping chores to be completed every day.
Learning curve of farming and solar power
For all the gifts, skills and resources they bring to the community; agricultural practices, irrigation science and solar power maintenance were not a significant part of their backgrounds. Before I left they were giving careful consideration and discussion to the timing and number of new sprouts they would transfer in the garden that evening.
Lettuce allowed to bolt, flower to collect the heirloom seeds for next years planting.
By the book or by the gut
The adherence to a rigid doctrine of agricultural practices was probably the only anomaly I witnessed at Earth Abides. It’s not that the bio intensive method they are following is wrong, it was just interesting that this aspect of the community seems to be squeaking for a little more oil. The oil, like for all farmers, is called experience. I was actually jealous that they had the opportunity to read, learn and experiment with their organic farm.
All the clock parts are connected in some fashion
What I thought was just an experiment in how to build a new clock is actually a complicated design worthy of the astronomical clock by David Rittenhouse in 1773. The operations at Earth Abides may seem separate and distinct, but they all work together to give a unique display life and healing like the Rittenhouse clock that shows the phases of the moon, position of planets and of course, the time of day. Chelsea, Marcus and Tom with the help of Chris will find the oil of faith to keep this little community ticking for several decades more.
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures
This gallery of images were capture traveling up to Earth Abides primarily in an around Sheep Ranch. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge.
