The four-acre farm used to be home to a saddle maker and some miniature therapy horses. Now it will be a place of respite where students and parishioners can detach and learn lessons about theology and agriculture.GREENSBORO — The popular phrase middle-schoolers use, “I need to touch grass,” is an idea that Father Christian Cook and Principal Antonette Aguilera have tried to instill in the minds of students and parishioners for years, so much so that they recently invested in farmland full of grass waiting to be touched in an effort to connect people to God through His creation.
Father Cook, pastor of St. Pius X Church, and Aguilera, principal of St. Pius X School, invested in the four-acre property on behalf of Farms of the Good Shepherd, a nonprofit they created to support the mission.
“The very first time I toured the school, we started talking about this vision,” Father Cook said. “It is inspired by the Catholic tradition of Ora et Labora (“prayer and work”). It is a teaching and retreat farm that invites us to step away from the distractions of modern life.”
The idea stemmed from their roots. Father Cook’s German grandfather often praised the European trade school concept and Aguilera experienced the beauty of agrarian life both in Italy and with the nuns at her school.
“Here, families can rediscover God through the beauty of His creation,” Father Cook said. “We believe it will help to foster a deeper relationship through faith, nature and meaningful work.”
The farm in Colfax is just outside the city limits of Greensboro and is expected to welcome families and children this year.
“We were trying to find a central location to our schools, and this is not too far from Bishop McGuinness or Immaculate Heart of Mary, and very close to St. Pius and Our Lady of Grace,” Aguilera said.
Sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens are moving in soon, and the 1800s Quaker-style log cabin and barn are being renovated.
Agricultural designs are being drawn up, while the minds of Father Cook and Aguilera are on overdrive with possibilities.
“We have parishioners who raise sheep, own chicken farms, engage in agritourism, and make their living as farmers,” said Father Cook, who notes they are learning from them.
A lifestyle of purpose
Father Christian Cook is known for baking the best sourdough bread, a recipe he may consider sharing at the new Farms of the Good Shepherd.As Father Cook explained, “The reason we called it ‘farms’ instead of ‘farm’ is because we want the ‘Farms of the Good Shepherd’ to be a program, not just one spot, but a community of people living this life.”
The purpose? To detach, disconnect from technology and foster the message of God through real life experience in nature, Father Cook and Aguilera say.
“In my work, I see the destruction caused by cellphones, the internet and gaming. It is probably the single most destructive thing we have introduced to children in hundreds of years,” Aguilera said. “If you take those things away, you have to fill those gaps with something, and so we advocate bringing them back to the Creator. There is no greater joy than the joy that He provides.”
Drawing from the lessons of St. Thomas Aquinas, the parables of Jesus, and the lifestyle of St. Benedict, visitors will battle the real-life elements of agriculture, farming, raising livestock, and the basics of baking and cooking.
“Each activity is intentionally designed to cultivate gratitude, simplicity, stewardship and a greater appreciation for God’s gifts,” Aguilera said.
In this effort, hands large and small are needed.
“The plan is for students to participate through service hours in rehabilitating the ‘fixer-upper’ right now, and then later in growing the farm,” Father Cook said.
With chicken coops, goat shelters, plant beds and feeding troughs that need to be built, the help of volunteers, carpenters, agricultural experts and animal enthusiasts is welcomed.
“We are blessed to have parishioners who are excited about handing down their old-world trades and their traditions of cooking, baking and self-sufficiency,” Father Cook said.
“Being in God’s creation, being with His animals, learning how to tend to them, giving them affection, learning how to bake bread – kids just don’t have many opportunities to do that,” Aguilera said. “This is why we wanted to invest in this and find the right spot, to get as many families to feel this joy of the Creator because we know ourselves just how beautiful it is.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
More online
At www.farmsgoodshepherd.org: Learn more about the farm