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Locally Grown Faith
Our monthly story-sharing campaign called Locally Grown Faith uplifts examples of transformational agrarian ministry that feeds body, mind, and spirit. This month we interview Catherine Craker from St James Cathedral in South Bend, Indiana.
GNG: Tell us about your Good News Gardens ministry.
CC: We are cultivating a pollinator garden with native plants in the heart of downtown South Bend. The lot used to be a gas station before the cathedral bought it about 10 years ago. Because of the previous use, we can't legally grow human food there, so we're focusing on flowers and restoring natural habitat. One year in, it's home to more than 80 species of native plants, a dozen species of butterflies, at least 10 species of bees and pollinating wasps, and a family of eastern cottontail rabbits. I like to think it's still a refueling station in a sense—people come and sit on the benches to read or eat lunch and watch the birds at the feeder, and we just finished installing a labyrinth in front of the cross for prayer and meditation.
GNG: Where or how do you meet God in this ministry?
CC: Helping things grow and work together as God intended is an amazing privilege. I'm constantly learning new things about how the world works, the connections between plants and animals and soil and microbes. It's been fascinating and rewarding to watch the ground change over just one year, and see new baby plants sprout long after I'd given up on them as more nutrients become available. There are obvious parallels to the parable of the sower throwing seeds out into the world, but with the added reminder that the soil can change. We plant our seeds and are disappointed when they don't grow, but sometimes they're just lying dormant, waiting for the right time.
GNG: How is your spiritual life changed or challenged by this work?
CC: I always pray best through work, so I find it both calming and uplifting to focus my whole mind and body on taking care of one small patch of creation. It also forces me to think about ways to connect with the rest of the community: What do people need from this space? How can I show them what we're trying to do here and why? The garden has also led to a lot of direct interaction with people downtown. Just being physically present outdoors, weeding and watering, I get people stopping to ask questions about the garden and the church and the other ministries we provide, or asking for directions or help getting into their locked car. As an introvert that's been good for me, to remember that I am the face of Christ to the people I meet, and they are the body of Christ that I am privileged to serve. It's easy to feel spiritual watching butterflies; it's a lot harder when a homeless guy steals your trash can.
GNG: What is one practical piece of advice that you have?
CC: Just start. Look at the space you have and figure out what you can grow there. Our space was lumpy, rocky garbage soil full of weeds and chemicals a year ago, but now it's full of life. You'd be amazed how fast plants and insects and wildlife come back if you invite them. Even that strip of patchy grass by your curb could be a habitat if you let it.
GNG: Anything else you want to share with our community?
CC: Don't forget the flowers! There has been a huge movement toward public veggie gardens, and I'm totally in favor of that, but they're not the only kind of garden we need. Never underestimate the value of beauty and small patches of nature in the middle of busy city life. Seeing a flower or a butterfly or a bunny, or hearing the birds sing as you wait for the bus, can make somebody's day brighter, and that is a worthy ministry as well. "Give us all a reverence for the Earth as Your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others, and to Your honor and glory."
Follow/like Butterfly Garden at the Cathedral of St. James South Bend on Facebook!
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