Vice Provincial Friar Gary Johnson, OFM Conv., offers the blessing while Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv., looks on.

Little Portion Farm hosted the blessing of the new Fruit Tree Orchard and Wild Flower Garden on Saturday, Sept. 9. Supporters who donated resources for the purchase of the trees and flowers were among those in attendance with many dedicated in the name of beloved family members and friends of these benefactors. Vicar Provincial Friar Gary Johnson, OFM Conv., offered the blessing, assisted by Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Director Friar Paul Lininger. Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv, whose family purchased and dedicated one of the fruit trees, was also in attendance.

Little Portion Farm is a ministry of the Franciscan Friars Conventual and focused on providing fresh food to those in need while using sustainable farming methods to restore the health of our land. The three-acre farm, located in Ellicott City, Md., functions as an “agro-ecosystem,” with a diversity of plants and habitats to support the life of this “little portion” of creation. As the food harvested from the farm is donated to the Franciscan Center in Baltimore, the overarching mission of this ministry is, using the words of Pope Francis, to “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”