We strive to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a simplicity of life and the performance of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Embracing the personalist philosophy of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, we work to affect society in such a way that the dignity of the human person is paramount. We encourage a communal self-sufficiency and Distributist principles that promote family-owned farms and businesses and support a local economy.

Peter Maurin mentored Dorothy Day in bringing her Catholic faith into her work for the poor. His overall program consisted of roundtable discussions for the clarification of thought, houses of hospitality to practice the works of mercy, and agronomic universities to teach basic homesteading skills. At the heart of the work is the worship of God. Through the combination of cult, culture, and cultivation, we can change the world. 

The Irish Scholars established
agricultural centers
all over Europe
where they combined
cult–
that is to say liturgy
with culture–
that is to say literature,
with cultivation–
that is to say agriculture.
And the word America
was for the first time
printed on a map
in a town in east France
called Saint-Die
where an Irish scholar
by the name Deodad
founded an agricultural center.
What was done
by Irish missionaries
after the fall
of the Roman Empire
can be done today
during and after the fall
of modern empires.

from Irish Culture
An Easy Essay by Peter Maurin

"We cannot build up the idea of the apostolate of the laity without the foundation of the liturgy."

Dorothy Day
 

We practice a Benedictine spirituality, pausing throughout the day to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in our private chapel. We accept prayer intentions and include them in our Morning Prayer each day. Regular participation in the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation sustain us in our work.

The work of the Catholic Worker began with a discussion around a kitchen table. At the farm, we host gatherings of local scholars to discuss current topics of interest with the hope of clarifying our ideas and putting them into action.

“People will have to go back to the land. The machine has displaced labor, the cities are overcrowded. The land will have to take care of them.”   

Peter Maurin

Our open-farm policy enables people to experience farm life, learn and work alongside us, and be inspired to live a life in sync with God’s creation.