The Lumen Christi Farm in Reedsville, Wisconsin, is a beautiful and peaceful place. It is the home of a variety of farm animals and a site of retreat and refuge away from the bustle of urban life. Visitors can spend time with the lovely sheep and donkeys. There are even two chapels, one of which has a section that allows the donkeys to peer in from the outside.
For Rachel and Mathew Langer, the path to establishing such a place of simplicity and peace was anything but easy. To be led to “still waters”, as Psalm 23 states, there was rough and rocky terrain to be traversed first.
Their story of faith and farming began when the couple met on Catholic Match over a decade ago. Rachel grew up in the city, and Mathew lived in the country, having been a third-generation mink farmer.
“I didn’t even know what a combine was until I met my husband!” she laughs.
Seeing Mathew pictured in his profile with sunflowers and pumpkins drew her to him. “I was really excited because I think I’m a country girl at heart, and didn’t really realize how much I loved the country,” she says.
They were married in 2011, and Rachel moved to his family’s mink farm, living in the house that belonged to his parents. Soon after, the Langers had their first child and in 2013, they decided to move and establish their own operation raising minks.
The market for the animals, however, proved to be a struggle, and they did so for many years until they transitioned to raising goats. Even through the difficulties, Rachel quickly grew to love the farm life.
“Anybody can grow something or raise something and connect it to God,” she reflects, “because our first assignment in the Garden of Eden is to take care of the land and the animals, and so if we have an opportunity to do that I believe that we are connected to that real purpose that God created [for] us.”
As they continued on with their endeavors, and providing goat meat, Rachel notes that they were beginning to experience burn-out. The 350 goats they were raising were not enough to be fully established as a farm. So, they decided to take a “family sabbatical”, taking a break from the hard labor to discern next steps.
“We started discerning as a family,” she recalls, “are we supposed to leave the farm? My husband was even tempted to move to Florida where it’s warm!”
Ultimately, their hearts’ desire was to stay on the farm in Wisconsin, and continue raising their four children there. They began to fully enjoy their property while on their sabbatical, and became more inspired by the life of St. Isidore, patron of farmers, and his wife Blessed Maria. Not only were they models because of the way they lived out their faith as farmers, but also because of a deeply relatable tragedy.
“We’ve been through a lot of struggles the last ten years,” Rachel reflects, “trying to farm, we had some diseases go through the herd, we lost some animals, we had a few miscarriages, and a still-birthed child.”
St. Isidore and Blessed Maria were also a source of comfort for Rachel and Mathew, because the former also experienced a similar loss. The Langers sought their intercession as their sabbatical went on.
As part of their discernment process, the Langers visited some pilgrimage sites in Wisconsin, such as the shrine of Our Lady of Champion. The history of the resilient farmers in the area inspired them too.
“My kids came back from our little trip to visit and we all said, ‘we need to build a chapel here on our farm!” Rachel says.
They were soon having some spiritual experiences, all pointing them to farm life; in prayer, the scripture passages to which they were led had to do with farming and agriculture. She even recalls their decision to buy some sheep, and their visit to a local shepherd opened their eyes.
The family was advised to make little noise, and was shown how the sheep responded to their shepherd’s call. When one of the children accidentally spooked the animals with movement, Rachel realized the truth of Jesus’ words: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27).
“We asked the Lord, ‘tell us what You want us to do,” she says, which soon led to a breakthrough in their discernment.
They began welcoming people on the farm to work with them. The Langers noticed the way these workers would “come alive” once they were caring for the land and animals. This prompted them to write a letter to their bishop, Bishop David Ricken, to share what was on their hearts about the operation, and ask permission to turn it into a non-profit retreat center. In February of 2024, they met with him, were given the green light, and on Easter Sunday that year, the Langers gave their full yes to the Lord.
They began converting some of their buildings for this purpose, including a chapel in the woods which they named in memory of their son, whom they named Job.
“We took the mission and vision of St. Isidore and Maria as what our mission is,” she explains. “We want to shine, reflect the light of Christ by following in the footsteps of Isidore and Maria…we want people to engage in their life and get to know them, whether they live in the cities or on a farm, they can all incorporate their values of family life and their love of the Eucharist, concern for the poor, and care of animals and the land.”
Their endeavor received many blessings, especially from the assistance of other people. When they were about to build their chapel, a woman from their community donated money to fund the project and a group decided to help put in the floors.
“It’s been an incredible experience of stepping back and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring people here that need to come, and find ways for them to be involved and help,” she says.
They even coined nicknames for these generous volunteers: Isidore’s Angels and Maria Ministers.
“You can’t even believe the generosity,” she says, “at the right time, when you need it, this person comes.”
Even with the tragic loss of a child, the Langers were able to share such an experience with others who also had gone through the same.This past spring, they held a service for parents who lost children through miscarriage or stillbirth. What had been such painful times in the life of the Langers became points of healing for them and for others: in building the chapel in commemoration of their son Job, and in the memorial service.
Today, they continue to provide opportunities for prayer and care for the animals to guests and visitors. Farm Days are meant for people to explore the farm, pray in the chapels, and participate in farm work. A young adult retreat is set for late August, and a live Nativity show in December.
We often do not understand the sufferings that befall on us, and perhaps for some of them, we may never in this life. When we stay close to the Lord, He can redeem even the greatest tragedies and sufferings we experience. In some ways, the redemption can be surprising.
