Catholic Rural Life

Catholic Rural Life Promoting Catholic life in rural America. Father Edwin V. This study confirmed his belief that the Catholic Church was weak in rural areas. Louis University.

Catholic Rural Life, November 11, 1923, on the third day of a gathering of bishops, priests, lay women and men in the St. Louis University Library who shared concerns about Catholic rural life and determined that it was time to form a permanent organization. O'Hara, Director of the National Catholic Welfare Conference's Rural Life Bureau, was the man who called this group of people together. He wa

s the spirit behind this conference and became the energetic guide of the new organization during its first decade. After a stint as Chaplain in World War I, Father O'Hara was asked to conduct a study of rural Catholic education. He found that the rural Church was under served in terms of priests, churches, hospitals and Catholic schools -- part of a pattern of overall neglect in which Church authorities gave little attention to the social, economic or religious problems of rural Catholics. Father O'Hara made recommendations to the bishops to remedy the problem. By November 1923, he had generated enough interest in Catholic rural life to call for the first Catholic Rural Life Conference - the one held at St. When the organization of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference came into being, he became its executive secretary and brought his energetic abilities with him.

Did you know that one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators?June is National Pollinators Month,...
06/01/2026

Did you know that one out of every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators?

June is National Pollinators Month, a time to celebrate the bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other creatures that play a vital role in the health of our farms, gardens, and ecosystems.

These remarkable animals carry pollen from flower to flower, making possible the reproduction of many fruits, vegetables, and other crops that nourish our communities.

In many ways, pollinators are some of God’s smallest—and most important—workers in creation.

Whether you live on a farm, in a rural community, or in a neighborhood with a backyard garden, there are simple ways to support pollinators and help creation thrive.

Stay tuned throughout the month as we share practical tips for promoting pollination right where you live!

What pollinators do you see most often in your area?

The Babylonian Exile was one of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history.Because of their repeated disobedience, God’s p...
06/01/2026

The Babylonian Exile was one of the darkest chapters in Israel’s history.

Because of their repeated disobedience, God’s people lost their homeland, saw Jerusalem destroyed, and were carried away into a foreign land. It seemed as though all hope had been lost.

But God had not abandoned them.

Through the prophets, He continued to promise restoration, healing, and redemption. And generations later, Jesus stood in a synagogue and proclaimed the words of Isaiah, declaring that those promises had been fulfilled in Him.

This is the story of salvation: a faithful God pursuing His people even when they wander.

The same is true in our own lives.

There may be seasons that feel like exile: times of loss, uncertainty, hardship, or waiting. Yet God remains faithful. His promises never fail, even when their fulfillment looks different than we expected.

Like a farmer who trusts that seeds hidden beneath the soil will one day bear fruit, we are called to trust that God is at work, even when we cannot yet see the harvest.

God always keeps His promises.

As we celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, we stand before a truth far greater than we can fully comprehend: one G...
05/31/2026

As we celebrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, we stand before a truth far greater than we can fully comprehend: one God in three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Yet Scripture reveals glimpses of this mystery to us.

The Father created all things through His Son.
And the Holy Spirit, the eternal love between the Father and the Son, hovered over the waters at the dawn of creation.

This means creation itself is marked by the love of the Trinity.

From the soil that nourishes our crops, to the beauty of the fields and forests, to every human person made in God’s image and likeness, all of creation reflects His goodness and is sustained by His love.

In rural life especially, we witness this reality so clearly in the rhythms of the seasons, the dependence on the land, and the wonder of life growing from the earth.

Today, may we pause in gratitude for the God who created us, redeemed us, and continually draws us into His divine life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Before she led armies and changed the course of history, St. Joan of Arc was a simple farm girl.While working in the fie...
05/30/2026

Before she led armies and changed the course of history, St. Joan of Arc was a simple farm girl.

While working in the fields of her family’s farm, Joan began receiving mystical visions from St. Michael the Archangel and other saints, calling her to courageously serve God and help save France during the Hundred Years’ War.

Though she was eventually betrayed by those she trusted and condemned to death, Joan remained faithful to God until the very end.

Her story is a powerful reminder that God often chooses the humble, the overlooked, and the ordinary to accomplish extraordinary things.

From quiet farms and rural villages can come great saints, courageous leaders, and faithful witnesses to Christ.

In a world that often overlooks rural life and simple living, St. Joan reminds us that holiness can grow in hidden places: in fields, small towns, family farms, and hearts willing to say “yes” to God.

Will we have the eyes to see God in the vulnerable and the poor, and the ears to discern His voice in them?

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us.

As we close the Summer Ember Days, we remember the silence and waiting of Holy Saturday, the day our Lord lay in the to...
05/30/2026

As we close the Summer Ember Days, we remember the silence and waiting of Holy Saturday, the day our Lord lay in the tomb before the joy of the Resurrection.

To the world, it seemed as though hope had died.
But even in the silence, God was still at work.

Whether we are carrying grief, uncertainty, hardship, failed harvests, or unseen struggles, the story of Holy Saturday teaches us to trust that suffering is not the end of the story.

Stay tuned for the Fall Ember Days, which take place right after the Feast of the Holy Holy Cross (September 14th).

Happy Friday of the Summer Ember Days!Today, the Church traditionally remembers in a special way the Passion and Death o...
05/29/2026

Happy Friday of the Summer Ember Days!

Today, the Church traditionally remembers in a special way the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through fasting and abstinence, we unite ourselves to the sacrifice of Christ, who gave His Body for the life of the world and poured Himself out completely in love.

In the midst of summer’s growth and abundance, the Ember Days remind us that true spiritual fruit is born through sacrifice, repentance, and dependence on God.

Whether our offerings today are small acts of self-denial, hidden sacrifices, or prayers carried quietly in the heart, no act given to the Lord is wasted.

May this Friday draw us deeper into gratitude for Christ’s Passion and greater trust in the One who feeds us with the Bread of Eternal Life.

It’s Rural Life Mass season!Two weeks ago, our Chapters and Rural Small Towns Program Manager, Karl Horwath, attended th...
05/29/2026

It’s Rural Life Mass season!

Two weeks ago, our Chapters and Rural Small Towns Program Manager, Karl Horwath, attended the Diocese of Green Bay Rural Life Mass, a beautiful celebration of faith, community, and the vocation of those who work the land.

These special Masses bring dioceses together to pray for farmers, ranchers, rural families, and all whose labor helps feed and sustain our communities.

They are also a powerful reminder that agriculture is a way of life deeply connected to stewardship, sacrifice, family, and trust in God’s providence.

In the midst of planting, growing, and harvest seasons, Rural Life Masses invite us to pause and give thanks for the gifts of the land and the people who care for it.

Have you ever attended a Rural Life Mass? Share your experience below!

Happy First Day of the Summer Ember Days, as we give thanks for the gift of wheat!These traditional days of prayer, fast...
05/27/2026

Happy First Day of the Summer Ember Days, as we give thanks for the gift of wheat!

These traditional days of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving invite us to slow down, reflect, and turn our hearts more fully toward God amid the rhythms of the season.

Wednesdays have long been associated with Judas’ betrayal of Christ during His Passion. Today, as we fast or offer small acts of penance, we remember the sorrow our Lord experienced through the betrayal of a close friend.

Whether our sacrifices feel large or small, we can unite them to Christ’s own suffering and offer them with love.

In the quiet work of the fields, the burdens of daily life, and the hidden sacrifices known only to God, the Ember Days remind us that no offering made in faith is wasted.

May this day draw us into deeper repentance, gratitude, and trust in the Lord.

St. Philip Neri was known for a joy so genuine and contagious that it drew countless people into friendship with God.Fil...
05/26/2026

St. Philip Neri was known for a joy so genuine and contagious that it drew countless people into friendship with God.

Filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, his heart overflowed with love, humor, compassion, and authentic human connection. Tradition even tells of his heart miraculously enlarging from the intensity of God’s presence within him.

In many rural communities, where neighbors still gather to help one another through harvests, hardships, and daily life, we see a reflection of the kind of joyful fellowship St. Philip fostered.

He reminds us that holiness is not lived in isolation. It grows through hospitality, shared burdens, faithful friendships, and communities rooted in Christ.

At a time when loneliness and division affect so many, St. Philip’s witness encourages us to slow down, invest in relationships, and bring the joy of the Gospel into our homes, parishes, farms, and communities.

May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the same joyful faith and help us lead others closer to Christ through the way we live and love.

St. Philip Neri, pray for us.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives and cooperate with the gifts He gives us, spiritual fruit begins to g...
05/25/2026

When we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives and cooperate with the gifts He gives us, spiritual fruit begins to grow.

Just as healthy soil and careful cultivation produce a fruitful harvest, hearts rooted in prayer and open to God can bear the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and faithfulness.

The Holy Spirit does not come empty-handed; He comes to renew, strengthen, and transform us from within.

As we continue to reflect on the joy of Pentecost, may we be open to the ways the Lord desires to work through us for the good of others and the building up of His Kingdom.

Come, Holy Spirit.

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