”These young people are really steadfast in their pursuit for justice,” said Franciscan Br. Cristofer Fernández, a conservation ecologist and volunteer climate justice coordinator for Catholic Climate Covenant, who visited the hunger strikers.
Category Archives: JPIC News
Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv.
On October 28, 2021, the Minister General and his Definitory nominated Friar Michael LASKY as the new Delegate General for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (GPIC). He will take over for Friar Joseph BLAY who has been appointed the Co-Secretary for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the International Union of Men’s and Women’s Superiors General (UISG and USG) in Rome.
JPIC Farm Focus
The long, hot summer days spent planting, weeding, and harvesting (so many tomatoes!) feel like a distant memory as the air chills and leaves fall. We are so grateful to our dozens of volunteers and all those who support the mission of Little Portion Farm from afar. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.
Conventual Franciscan Federation Assembly
On October 12-17, 2021, the Conventual Franciscan Federation (CFF) gathered at the Mexican American Catholic College Center (MACC) in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Wine at the Shrine 2021
A message from Farmer Matt Jones, the Little Portion Farm Outreach Coordinator and our Province JPIC Assistant Director:
“Thank you to all who braved the rain to join us for Wine at the Shrine on Saturday! We were lucky to celebrate another successful year of partnership with The Franciscan Center of Baltimore and we thank all who continue to support our mission to bring farm fresh food to the table of those in need.
By the way, the season is far from over! We are still in need of volunteers as we continue to harvest food and prepare for next year. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign up on our website: www.littleportionfarm.org to be added to the email list.”
Our Province JPIC Commission Chairman & Director of Little Portion Farm, Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. was on hand to help keep the day running smoothly. Friar Michael also serves as pastor for two of our PA pastoral ministries.
The rain did not keep the participants away. Over 600 guests enjoyed the day, as most of the artisan stalls and tasting areas were moved indoors.
Our ministries worked together to make the event a huge success. Br. Brian Newbigging, OFM Conv. works as Director of Franciscan Soy Candles. He created a few new fragrance options just for the event, and all proceeds from those sales went directly to Little Portion Farm.
More photos from the day can be found on our Province Facebook Page:
JPIC Farm Focus
Our harvest of warm-season crops is in full swing now! Tomatoes and zucchini and cucumbers (oh my!) are being picked nearly every day. We are also growing a few crops for the first time on the farm, including watermelon, cantaloupe, celery, and bush beans. Despite some stretches of very hot weather, these crops are all doing very well.
JPIC – Farm Focus
It is an exciting time of year as the first warm-season crops are ready for harvest – in the last week we have picked the first few cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. By this time next month we will be in full harvest mode! Some of our spring-planted crops are also maturing, including radishes, Swiss chard, and lettuce.
JPIC – Farm Focus
May 2021 Newsletter
May is probably one of the busier months on the farm with all the planting we have to do. Beds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, winter squash, zucchini, okra, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more were planted this month. Many of these warm-season crops are covered to provide additional warmth and help them through cooler nights.
JPIC – Farm Focus
Saturday, May 22, 2021: Our Little Portion Farm ministry, in Ellicott City, MD, celebrated a “Sowing and Blessing the Wildflowers.” This is an important part of an ecological balancing strategy to attract predatory insects to our farm to help control the pests that damage the crops. Farmer Matt Jones (above right – JPIC Assistant Director & Farm Outreach Coordinator), the friars, staff members from the varied ministries on site, and an extensive array of volunteers have planted a diversity of flowering plants to help attract these helpful creatures, in keeping with our avoidance of all pesticides. During the May 22nd event, guests of all ages were invited to help scatter seeds for the new wildflower section and participate in a brief prayer service. These wildflower sections provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, but also create spaces where visitors can contemplate the beauty of creation. Province JPIC Commission Chairman and Farm Director ~ Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. (below left) presided over the service. After the blessing, visitors were welcomed to walk around the farm and learn more about our unique ministry, in rural Howard County, Maryland, on the grounds of The Shrine of St. Anthony; home to our Provincial House, the Carrollton Hall Historic Site, the Companions of St. Anthony, the Province Franciscan Mission Association Office, and the Franciscan Soy Candles ministry!
Note from Farmer Matt: “One of St. Francis’ early biographers wrote that St. Francis believed that gardens should always have a part set aside to be “undug.” According to this biographer, St. Francis thought that seeing this wild beauty would lead people to praise the Creator. So the wildflower areas on the farm are an interpretation of this concept, in addition to being places of ecological benefit.”
Wildflower Sowing & Blessing – May 22, 2021
Opening Prayer:
Creator God, we ask you now to be with us in this place. We recognize you as the Giver and Sustainer of life—in the seed, in the soil, and in the sower. We thank you for the opportunity to take part as a co-creator in this garden, planting seeds that—with your continued sustenance—will flourish with life. We pray that we will never lack in wonder or gratitude for these gifts, and that we are always rooted in a deep place of humility.
Blessings:
Sister Seed
We invite you now to take a cup of seeds to scatter on the ground. Take care to scatter the seeds slowly and carefully, so that together we may cover the entire area evenly. Become aware of the wondrous reality that each tiny seed has the potential within to become a living plant. We pray that these seeds may burst forth in abundant growth to become healthy plants; that these plants may provide sustenance for many creatures; and that these flowers reflect the beauty of their Creator. ALL: Creator God, hear our prayer.
Brother Soil
We invite you to walk on the seeds, pressing them into the soil. Touch the soil with your hands. Become aware of this particular soil, unique to this place, yet, at the same time, a part of our vast, interconnected planet Earth. We pray that this soil be a suitable home for a diversity of life, whether visible or invisible to us. May its nutrients nourish the wildflowers and may it provide a strong foundation for their roots. ALL: Creator God, hear our prayer.
Sister Water
We invite you to take a cup of water. Touch the water and flick it onto the newly planted seeds. Become aware of the journey these particular drops of water may have taken to arrive here on this land. We pray that this water may break open these seeds and that this ground may be blessed with lifegiving rains. ALL: Creator God, hear our prayer.
Brother Sun
We now invite you to feel the warmth of the sun’s rays on your skin. Become aware of the sun, whose heat makes our world inhabitable and whose light illuminates its beauty. We pray that the sun’s rays reach these wildflower seeds who need its light to sprout. May sunlight shine on these plants to help them grow and reflect their beauty to us. ALL: Creator God, hear our prayer.
Closing Prayer:
Creator God, we thank you for the opportunity today to be gardeners tending a small corner of your magnificent creation. Sister Seed, Brother Soil, Sister Water, and Brother Sun – bless these companions of creation. Open our eyes that we may see how intimately we are connected to them; help us understand how deeply we depend on their gifts. Please guide our work on this farm. Give strength to our volunteers, sustain the plants we grow, and help us to provide an abundant harvest of nourishing food to the most vulnerable among us. Amen
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Be sure to check out more photos from this event and upcoming events & harvests happening at Little Portion Farm via their Facebook page!
JPIC – Farm Focus
Last week we celebrated the feast day of Blessed Giles of Assisi, the patron of Little Portion Farm. Giles was a farmer and early follower of St. Francis. After grain had been harvested in the summer, Giles would walk the fields to glean what was leftover by the reapers, and then gave away almost all that he gathered to the poor.
