Family, faith and farm: book offers insights on the Catholic Homestead

By Tim Walch
Book Review

A Review of “The Liturgy of the Land: Cultivating a Catholic Homestead” By Jason M. Craig and Thomas D. Van Horn. TAN Books, 2023, 258 pages, $34.95.

“To pray and to work” — that is the motto that St. Benedict proclaimed for his order of monks in the 6th century. The Benedictines prayed as they cultivated the land and produced food for their sustenance. It was God’s plan and God’s gift.

That link between faith in God and the bounty of the land is a strong one that merits fresh reflection. Over the past decade, two men of faith applied the Benedictine motto to developing a “liturgy of the land” — a cultivation of the meaning of the Catholic household.

The result of their quest is this book — a beautiful hymn to the sacred nature of the land and the bounty that it provides each growing season. Exceptional photographs intersperse chapters on growing seasons, the value of labor, and the friction between artificial and natural farming methodologies, among other topics.

The central theme of this discussion is the meaning of the Catholic farm. “The family homestead,” the authors note in the introduction, “is not simply a different option among others, as if life is nothing but a series of lifestyle choices, but it is the natural place and work that lends itself uniquely to growth in virtue and holiness.”

“The union of the family and the land is sacred,” they add, “naturally mimicking the fruitful love of man that, when true and lasting, is fruitful and lifegiving.” This central fact is older even than the connection between work and prayer. Since the time of St. Augustine, the homestead is the altar where we celebrate the liturgy of the land.

It would be wrong, however, to assume that the authors see farming through rose-colored glasses. Indeed, these men are realists. “We recognize that the tension between the modern world and the harmonious homestead does not resolve overnight,” they write early in the book, “so we still have to find a balance between office jobs, part-time jobs and the demands of a farm.”

They readily admit that learning to farm has been both humbling and trying. One can only wonder if they would admit to using a few curse words along the way. “We have written the book that would have been helpful to us in those early years,” they add, “those that want to go from here to there on a homestead.”

This is not a book about the technical aspects of agronomics; there is little in the book about growing and harvesting. The authors point to shelves of other books on crop rotation, animal husbandry and the like. The unique nature of this book is the reintegration of work, land, liturgy, family, leisure and home as reflected through a Catholic lens.

Not to be overlooked is a lengthy appendix that offers practical advice to young families seeking a life on the land. The authors provide information on time requirements, start-up expenses, the learning curve, acreage requirements, seasonal variance, production expenses, harvest requirements and even bartering value.

They use these units to evaluate various aspects of the family farm from raising specific types of crops to the unique nature of animal husbandry. Many readers may want to start reading this book at the appendix.

The beating heart of this book is the spiritual relationship between Catholic families and their farms. “To sow and reap is not a complete act,” the authors remind us. “They are brought to completion with an expression of gratitude to God, a loving preparation and presentation, and enjoying them with others. This is what makes it the true liturgy of the land.”

(Timothy Walch is a parishioner at St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville and a member of The Catholic Messenger Board of Directors.)