I grew up on five acres in rural, central Minnesota. My parents tended a massive vegetable garden every summer, and I have fond memories of walking through the door after school in the fall, the perfectly-seasoned spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, just about ready to be canned for use all winter long. We tapped maple trees, made grape juice from our own grape vines, and my father loved foraging for mushrooms. But I grew up and married a man whose job demands his presence in a city, and so we have discerned that the Lord desires another way of life for our family.
Still, we have done what we can to bring life to our little patch of land in Des Moines. It’s varied in different seasons of life, but we’ve done everything from growing a vegetable garden to raising backyard chickens to planting a Mary garden. While our efforts have focused around immersing our domestic church into the natural order, there are many others across the country who are renewing their urban communities through farming and gardening. In this issue, CRL explores how individuals and organizations are finding ways to be rural at heart in the city. From Catholic Worker gardens and farms springing up across America to church-led community gardens in Seattle and Los Angeles to a young couple farming on abandoned city lots in South Bend, the stories in this edition highlight how neighborhoods and cities are being revitalized through hard work, love of neighbor, and a few green thumbs. As these people cultivate the land, they also cultivate their communities. Whether you’re rural or urban, may these stories serve as a hopeful reminder that we’re all in this together as members of God’s family.
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