SJU Faith hosts prayer in the garden
Students participated in a retreat at the Lake City Catholic Worker farm. The emphasis of the retreat is to see the Benedictine Values in action. They did physical work on the farm, camped in tents and ate simple meals while integrating prayer and reflection into their work.
From Sept. 16-18, SJU Faith hosted the annual PIG (Prayer in the Garden) retreat at the Lake City Catholic Worker farm.
According to Phoebe Carstens, the ministerial resident for faith sharing communities at SJU Faith, this year’s group consisted of five CSB+SJU students. The group reflected on sustainability, simplicity, spirituality and food production and consumption.
“We learn about the Catholic Worker Movement, and so many of the values that base that movement are based on the Benedictine Values that we know and love. Things like hospitality, working for justice, stewardship, awareness of God in nature and all sorts of things,” Carstens said.
The farm is run by Sara and Paul Freid, who practice regenerative agricultural practices. They live with their children in a communal living environment where they take in guests who need a place to stay, food or employment.
“[Lake City Catholic Worker Farm is] a faith-based farming community in the Catholic Worker tradition of a land and craft-based economy, the works of mercy and Restoration Agriculture,” their website says. “Believing in the sacredness of the land, our agricultural practices strive to be ecologically sustainable, economically sound and socially just.”
SJU Faith has been working with the Freid family for many years and student retreatants pointed out the lessons they learned from the family’s lifestyle.
“One thing they told us was that you’re not supposed to live comfortably. You’re supposed to do things that make you nervous… Don’t live in the comfort zone because that’s not what God is calling us to do,” said Courtney Huiras, an SJU Faith student employee and PIG participant.
Students had access to the house’s bathrooms but camped in tents and ate simple meals, incorporating some food grown on the farm as a practice of simplicity. During the day they planted trees and did other tasks around the farm, but prayer and reflection were integrated into the work. Huiras was surprised by how relevant faith values were to the physical work they did on the farm.
“I went into it thinking we’d pray before and then we’d work, but when you’re working you really can connect with nature and with God,” Huiras said.
SJU sophomore Elias Wehr also attended. He and Huiras said they learned a lot about farming, the Catholic Worker values and how they connect.
“During our time there we gained respect for the work the farmers were doing because not only were they trying to make a profit, but also practicing sustainability and giving back to the land and the people,” Wehr said.
Carstens said that SJU Faith offers the PIG retreat because of the unique experience which camping and working outside provides, especially compared to staying at a retreat center. To Carstens, the main focus of the retreat was to see the Benedictine Values in action.
The students also pointed out the uniqueness of the experience and how many parts of it were new and fun. Some highlights included learning to milk a goat, trying kombucha, playing with llamas, conversations with the Freid family and having a bonfire.
“It was extremely fulfilling to see the vegetables I picked or trees I helped plant. It felt amazing knowing I had contributed to something bigger than myself… it was really fun to work in community with the retreat group and to connect with everyone and the farmers,” Wehr said.
SJU Faith plans to offer the PIG retreat again next year and has other retreat opportunities scheduled throughout the year, such as the annual First Year Retreat Experience (FYRE) retreat on Oct. 14-16.
