Saint Emmelia Ministries is pleased to give our support to this initiative, born out of our Saint Macrina Lecture on Homesteading.
“The Unfading Rose” is a discussion group for Orthodox Christians interested in homesteading, farming, grappling with technology, and the Benedict Option, who are aspiring to rediscover a balanced life centered on sacraments and nature.
by Ave Maria Farm
What would it look like to raise our families in a life centered on sacramental worship, classical values, art, leisure, agriculture, and the natural rhythms of the earth?
How can we successfully balance our faith and goals with modern entertainment, screens, artificial intelligence, and technologies?
What ancient wisdom can our Church offer us today in our age of over-stimulation, frenzied rush, and rapidly declining morals?
Is it realistic and possible to rediscover authentic leisure and community in our anti-culture society?
What are practical ways to maintain a homestead, unplug from worldliness, and get off the grid?
These and similar questions will be the theme of our monthly meetings. Our hope is that these open discussions generate thought and ideas in an increasingly confusing world. Few generations have faced such challenges in discerning how to be “in the world, not of the world,” and to follow St. Paul’s injunction: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit continues to preserve the faithful and we are hope-filled that, together, we can walk in Christ’s light.
Fr. Peter Kavanaugh is the priest at St. Benedict Orthodox Church, and started the Ave Maria Farm in northern Texas. He began farming while living at the Holy Monastery of St. Dionysius in Litohoro, Greece, and has ever since pursued his passion to work the soil. Together, he, his wife and four children, and the local community are cultivating a life at their farm, with a small herd of cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and Bonita, the family donkey. They have also built a quaint chapel and three tiny homes on the farm to provide a wholesome living experience for young adults enjoying either a gap year or studying at college, or for those just along for the adventure who want to start their adult life on a solid foundation, experience community, and learn basic farming skills.
We have chosen to call this project the “Unfading Rose.” This has a double meaning. First, it honors and seeks the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mother of Life. Second, it recalls the heart and the beauty of the lifestyle in harmony with Church and Nature. This life, regardless of the times in which we live, never wilts and nor loses its sweet fragrance. May God lead us!
Join in the dialogue! Register here: bit.ly/unfadingrose