If we think the year 2012 has brought us unusual weather conditions, we are correct. In fact, reports indicate that the United States experienced its warmest and most extreme weather on record through April, and those conditions seem to be continuing.
Tag: Tom Nelson
Ecumenical celebrations of local foods
Seven west side churches in Madison representing four denominations will join together in offering a series of events in January that explore the connections between food, faith, and farming.
Closing rural post offices makes no sense
Rural life is a daily challenge to survive on most days; we citizens blessed enough to live in the beauty of the country often are too busy trying to get by to really enjoy all the scenic views of the rural landscape.
At this very moment I am looking at the tree-line between my property and the old Gilbertson Farm west of our home and billowing out in huge clouds of white smoke are the fiery fingers of flames that are consuming my neighbor’s cow barn.
Rethinking the food we eat
We all need food to survive, but do we really think about the food we’re eating: where it came from, who grew it, how it was prepared?
There are many aspects of food production that have moral and even spiritual dimensions, points out Tom Nelson, coordinator of the Rural Life Office for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Madison. Nelson’s reflections on “the sacred act of eating” can be found in this week’s Catholic Herald. He points out that we humans serve as stewards of creation and we must take care of the resources God has provided.
Focusing on rural life: Listening sessions planned
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| St. Lawrence Church in Jefferson is the site of one of the rural life listening sessions. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) |
MADISON — Catholic Charities’ new Rural Life Office will be holding listening sessions throughout the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
“It will be an opportunity to help address the needs with rural pastors and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the farm community,” said Brian Cain, executive director of Catholic Charities (CC).
Tom Nelson, coordinator of the CC Rural Life Office, said there is a great need “to listen across the 11 counties to the many concerns and challenges of farmers and farm families and all those who are impacted by the financial crisis across all segments of agriculture in our area.”
Need for food
With an ever-increasing worldwide need for food, Nelson said “it is alarming to watch the continuous eroding of our farming base across the bread/corn basket of our nation as farmers lose their family farms to financial failure, all the while being more productive than ever before.
Rural Life Office transferred to Catholic Charities
The Diocese of Madison announced that its Rural Life Office has been transferred to Catholic Charities effective July 1.
Rural Life Office reports on diocesan flood response
The Rural Life Office of the Diocese of Madison began receiving field condition updates from our Diocesan Rural Life Network members throughout the month of May and early June, and the reports were quite startling.