The sandy, sloped fields of our farm are like our bodies. In order to work and produce, they need to be fed. So in early autumn, Fr. Louis Labrecque spread the composted manure on the gardens and pastures.

Dawn Kobewka, Mary Davis, Ruth Siebenaler, and Chris Hanlon also manured the smaller gardens to encourage the next year’s herbs, strawberries, and celery.

Then the land rested.

On January 3rd, Ronnie MacDonnell, who has served at the farm for most of his almost fifty years in Madonna House, left for a time of holidays, rest, and service in Carriacou, West Indies.

Michael Huffman and Scott Eagan took several nutrient management courses to learn how to better protect our natural water sources and to be good stewards of our manure. Doug Guss raised and sealed both farm wells to insure that the water remains safe.

In early spring of 2005, we pulled a few more rocks out of the gardens and cleared another acre or two on the new sheep pasture.

With the help of several guests, Arthur Connick looked after the herds and flocks.

Tom Kluger, our cheese maker, did research on cottage cheese in order to try and improve our product.

By March we had only four cows giving milk, a low number for us. But that month a new calf was born, and we rejoiced in this simple sign of new life.

On March 3rd our brother, Tom Egan passed over to the heavenly Father. We celebrated his life and prayed for his soul.

As the Canadian government worked to pass legislation to change the traditional definition of marriage, we, along with the rest of the Canadian Church, prayed to St. Joseph—unsuccessfully—to prevent this from happening.

Fr. Louis Labrecque and his crew brought in the first harvest of the year—maple syrup.

In 2005 Good Friday and the Annunciation coincided, a rare occurrence. Death and birth, giving and receiving, sadness and joy—all of this is familiar on our farm. Easter brought grace and resurrection to all of us and prepared us for the death of Pope John Paul II.

The day of his death was, for us, accompanied by a big storm and power outage.

Larry Klein, Michael Huffman, and I met together to discuss farm planning in general and cow yard upgrading in particular. It is good to work together pooling our thoughts and ideas.

April 5th brought a thick blanket of snow, and a new beef calf! Halfway around the world, in just three days, over four million people viewed the body of Pope John Paul II lying in state.

Just a few days after the funeral, some of us traveled to Quebec City to attend the ordination as bishop of Fr. Pierre-André Fournier, our associate priest.

April showers did not materialize. This made it easier to work on the land, but it was worrisome, too.

The first lambs came on April 17th, and a new shepherd, Pope Benedict XVI was elected on April 19th.

We were blessed not to have to hand-feed any lambs this year. On the other hand, we lost several ewes in lambing and a number of lambs. Later in the season, coyotes reappeared, and ate a number of lambs on pasture. This is trouble!

We also had trouble with moisture condensing in the chicken feed bin, producing moldy feed. I installed a fan unit and a perforated hose in the bin, and it seems to have stopped the problem.

By late April I was discing the gardens with the horses. Meanwhile, Chris Hanlon, the head gardener, was transplanting cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower from the greenhouse.

In an all-house work bee we planted the onions one May evening. It is always lovely to see men, women and priests working together to feed our family.

In mid-May, the sheep were sheared. The weather continued to be warm and dry.

We were able to get a vet from Renfrew (a small city about 60 miles away) to come and help get our dairy cows bred. We are praying for a large-animal vet to come to our area.

On June 10th, Archbishop Raya died. As with Pope John Paul II, the day of his death was accompanied by a tremendous rain storm, the first rain in three weeks—tears of heaven bringing solace and life.

Dawn Kobewka worked hard all summer taking care of the herb garden. Mary Davis and Ruth worked hard, too, and their efforts paid off in a good rhubarb harvest.

The clouds continued to open and brought needed moisture for pasture, hay, gardens, and forest.

We had a heavy infestation of potato beetles, and even with work bees to crush the egg masses, and men collecting the bugs, we couldn’t keep up with them. So the potato harvest was poor. We will have to research new techniques to deal with them next summer.

We had to get the bulk milk tank fixed and had ongoing trouble with the hay bailer, but after giving it a lot of attention, I think we got it fixed.

It ended up being a hot, fairly dry summer—good for hay but problematic for garden crops.

Our irrigation system is labor intensive, and this was a factor in a few poor crops (potatoes and green beans). Chris did some irrigating, and it helped especially with carrots and corn, and other crops which they hand watered.

Chuck Sharp was transferred to the farm and provided much needed help. He attended to many repairs and numerous other projects.

Irene Sullivan, the farm cook, and her helpers, provided meals for us and for all who helped at the farm.

On July 2nd the farm’s main hydro pole caught fire and knocked out the electricity. Two local electricians came right away with a new pole. With the help of Chuck and Doug, they had it fixed by the next day, and late that evening, after dark, Ontario Hydro came and hooked us up again. God and our neighbors are looking after us!

On July 16th, Michael Huffman took Arthur’s place as the man responsible for the animals.

Diana Breeze, with Renée Sylvain and Jo Ann Treige as her right hand women, plus a varying number of guests and staff took care of all the food processing—canning, freezing, drying, etc., etc. It was a peaceful, orderly workplace, where many were taught how to do little things with love.

We had a good hay crop, and by August we were milking eight cows.

We hired two men to come in and groove the concrete laneways in the cow barn to help guard against the cows slipping on slick concrete.

Chuck’s brother Tom came for a week, and together they put a new roof on the attached greenhouse. (The old one was badly yellowed and cracked.)

We had evening work bees to pick the green beans which were then washed, blanched, and frozen by day.

Hurricane Katrina plowed through the American Gulf states, wrecking havoc with life and property. As we did our farm work, we prayed for those affected.

We received some large generous food donations, which we traveled to pick, and then processed—grapes, pears, and tomatoes.

At some point I realized that our worries over low milk production were evidence of a lack of trust in God. He certainly provided for us. We ended up with a more than average amount of frozen meat.

We had a good squash harvest, and good pastures until mid-August when the pastures dried out. Fr. Louis cut green feed in September; so we needed less hay.

The potato crop was smaller than average, but with so many potatoes leftover from last year’s bumper crop, we had enough for the coming winter.

John Blum, Wilf Gravelle and his son Greg, and Phil Luckovich once again helped with our slaughter and meat cutting.

I made some new friends among the farmers of our county while searching for spring wheat to mill for our bread.

Tom Kluger, our cheese-maker was sent out to a field house—Marian Centre Regina—and Malcolm Delaney, back from Belgium, began his fourth stint in the cheese house.

Our good and faithful jeep died suddenly. It had suffered a broken frame, clutch, and transmission, not in an accident, but through daily use. Blessed were we when Bryan O’Brien found a 4x4 Explorer locally, and at a very good price. Then doubly blessed, we were given a mini-van. Yes, God is taking good care of us!

While all this seemingly endless activity was taking place, the trees were quietly growing in the forest, the grass roots in the pasture were extending downward and outward, and the sheep, cattle, and horses roamed the fields.

The river of love coursed through our lives, and prayer rose heavenward to God.

One of my favorite quotations from Catherine Doherty is this: "Love is like a river flowing silently, giving life, and making its borders green."

The story of our farm this past year is part of a long river of love. Sometimes near its source it bubbles and pours over stones and moss. Other times it disappears underground.

Later it springs up again and gathers force. Meltwaters swell tributaries which merge to form a mighty river ready to overflow its banks. And the land and plants are given life.

The story of St. Ben’s Farm is a story about love. The river is the sweep of life and love. The story, like the river, gives life, because its words come from the Word. And the Word is Jesus Christ—source of life and love flowing from the heart of the Father. Our story is spoken from the mouth of God.

Diana’s story, Michael’s story, Dawn’s and Chris’ and my story and every guest and visitor’s story blend together like tributaries to form a humble yet mighty story that flows strong.

Each day, each moment, each event, each yearning and each fruit added lines and chapters to the story. Each prayer, each offering, each sacrament of the present moment gathered the waters and brought sustenance.

Each one of our stories this past year, no matter what the difficulties, no matter what the sinkholes and cataracts, was joined into a great river that watered so many thirsty souls with the clear cool liquid of God’s love.

Farming is very ancient; yet what Catherine Doherty called "apostolic farming"—farming as a way of preaching the Gospel with one’s life—began with Christ.

The story started with a Maiden’s "yes" and entered the world in a cave. Christ died on the cross for this world. Then, after sleeping in a new cave, a tomb, he, the Word, resurrected and flowed into history as Holy Fire.

The Father swept that Fire of Love through all of human life and time.

That river and that story continue in each of us. But we must choose, lay hold of its power each day. Then the story holds fire. Then the river really gives life and makes its borders green.

A farmer needs to know that God’s word and God’s water come from an uninterrupted story of Light piercing the darkness. A farmer must learn that word and water come from God and must be offered back to him. Then he will know his place in the story.

A farmer, together with all of humankind, must enter the flow and speak this story.

So, whoever you are, follow the current and explore the bends of your life. Shoot the rapids and be carried along the quiet straight stretches. Drink deeply and stretch your body towards him who is everything. Live! Love! Believe! Gather your story and tell it with strength. For we are all part of a great story.

The story continues and the river flows onward. Love is like a river…

Excerpted and adapted from our annual farm report, November 1, 2004 – November 1, 2005.