Fr. Maurice Lange, O.M.I., walks through a green field while his farmer, Amy Cloud, tends to the crop with a special row cover.

“At La Vista, we try to give things new life,” Fr. Maurice says. “We con-verted the old barns into a storage area and a small office. One stall is now our distribution area where families come to pick up their produce.”

Fr. Maurice looks proudly upon the converted stalls and the three pastures which make up the Community-Supported Garden at La Vista on the grounds of the Oblate Novitiate in Godfrey, Illinois.

Today, in its third year of operation, the 4 1/2 acre farm provides vegetables, flowers, and herbs for 120 families. In the idea of Community-Supported Agriculture, families become share-holders by paying an annual fee. Then, for six months out of the year, they receive a share of the weekly harvest. This share averages between 10-12 pounds of fresh organic foods, picked at the height of their ripeness.

This ministry is an extension of the Oblate Ecological Initiative (OEI), which Fr. Lange directs. The farm embodies much of the mission of the OEI.

“A focus on Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC), became part of the Oblate Rule in 2000. The OEI was founded to recognize creation’s integrity. We have to see how the world is and try to figure out how to give new life. We need to create a solution with what’s available – a solution to the crisis of our times.”

The crisis, in Fr. Maurice’s eyes, is the lack of connection between the average man and nature.

“We have to model human behavior, attitudes, and technology on how the Earth works. The model we have now is linear and not sustainable. We need to build a circular model, where humans replenish the Earth while the Earth supports us.”

Fr. Maurice sees the ministry of the OEI as a reflection of sentiments expressed by Pope John Paul II. In Common Declaration, the late Pope said, “We must therefore encourage and support the ‘ecological conversion’ which in recent decades has made humanity more sensitive...”

To see these concerns as ultimately spiritual, the OEI also hosts retreats and Earth Literacy programs at the La Vista Ecological Learning Center. Lay people and religious come to learn about the Integrity of God’s Creation and to experience the goodness of a Community-Supported Garden.

“Some people may think that environmental matters are over-whelming. They are large. But it doesn’t get more personal than food. Food blesses us. It provides the fuel for our prayers, creativity, thoughts, and imagination. People don’t normally consider this blessing from food. My advice would be to try to have 10% of your food come from local farms. That’s a good first step.”

The 4 1/2 acre garden provides blessings in many ways that aren’t just ecological, as well. Keeping with the Oblate focus on serving the poor, the farm has donated over 3,000 pounds of produce to the Alton Crisis Center for low-income families. In fact, 10% of the shareholders in La Vista are low-income and pay only $50 for the 27 weeks worth of fruits and veggies.

“The goal is to create something sustainable,” Fr. Maurice said. “Some-thing that can provide for future generations. It is a privilege to have this land - a privilege and a responsibility.”

To Fr. Maurice, seeing the new life in things means being able to see the future of all life, as well.

For more information on the OEI,
visit, www.lavistacsa.org.