CRL Travels to D.C., St. Isidore Feast Day Celebrationsand More!
May 10, 2017
This week we update on our travels to Washington and St. Isidore feast day celebrations across the country. Visit our website for more.

Words of Wisdom

O God, who made man from the slime a ccording to Your form sublime, a nd made Christ share our lowliness t o let us share His holiness.  Be in each brother's hand a light t o show the path through this dark night. B e in us each the burning fire t hat kindles love and kills desire.  Through Jesus Christ let this be done, w ho lives and reigns, our Lord, Your son, w hom with the Spirit we adore, o ne God with You forevermore.

--Hymn from the Novena to St. Isidore
Feast of St. Isidore 
Celebrations Across the Country 

Monday, May 15 is the Feast of St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers. St. Isidore is an example to farmers of virtue through his charity and faith. We know that there are many events and activities planned for this great saint's feast. Here are a few examples of events going on around the country in celebration:
 
St. Mary, St. George and St. Michael Churches in Brown County, Ohio are holding a prayer service for the Feast of St. Isidore, which will take place on the farm of a St. George parishioner.  The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio will be holding one of their annual Farm Masses, with Archbishop Schnurr as the celebrant, in celebration of the feast day.  The Diocese of Salina, Kansas will be hosting a celebration with Mass, celebrated by Bishop Weisenburger, followed by a blessing of seeds, fields, and animals. They will then have lunch and tour the Kansas Service Dog Training School, in Washington, Kansas.
 
Are you or your parish planning an event to celebrate St. Isidore's Feast Day?  Let us know how you or your parish are planning to celebrate! Contact Morgan at Morgan@CatholicRuralLife.org
 
Are you, your parish, or your diocese interested in hosting a celebration of your own? See our Rural Life Celebration Handbook for how-to instructions. 
 
St. Isidore is the patron saint of CRL. Join us in  praying the novena to St. Isidore. Click  here .
CRL Visits Washington 
Represents Rural Concerns

CRL Executive Director, Jim Ennis, is in Washington, D.C. this week participating as an observer on the  Domestic Justice and Human Development Committee. CRL participates twice a year in national meetings of the Domestic Justice and Human Development Committee of the USCCB to represent rural concerns in discussions of important issues such as poverty, hunger, care for creation, health care, and moral and human dimensions of the federal budget. The committee often communicates its concerns to members of Congress to help inform them of the Church's perspective on challenging issues facing people living in the US.
 
Ennis said: "It is a real blessing to know that our bishops are truly engaged and wrestling with the challenges facing our society and how the Church ought to respond and serve the common good by applying Catholic doctrine to these concerns through advocacy and education."
Ben's Ranch Foundation
Seeking Host Families to Help Teens 

The Ben's Ranch Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is in need of host families to host teens this summer. The Foundation seeks to operate and support programs designed to give teens suffering from certain mental health and related challenges an opportunity to seek relief and healing by living and working on a farm or ranch for a summer or longer.
 
Established in 2015, the foundation is named in honor of a young man whose life was greatly enriched and prolonged by his 18-month stay on a remote Wyoming ranch during what would have been his senior year of high school.
 
The BRF's success depends completely on the generosity of volunteer farm and ranch hosts. Volunteer hosts welcome a teen to their farm or ranch, where they will live, work and learn, just like they were one of the family.  
 
Would you be interested in helping a teen this summer? Click here for more info about the application process. 
 Support our work by becoming a member, or donating today.
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