Catholic rural life in North Dakota

For the past six years, the Diocese of Fargo has sponsored a Rural Life Celebration in different deaneries of our diocese. Each summer a generous family has invited me to celebrate Mass on their farm for the local community and for visitors from around the diocese. Special blessings are offered for seeds, animals, machinery, and the land. With the help of the local parish, a meal is provided, and we have the opportunity to visit with friends old and new. This annual celebration is an occasion for all of us to recognize the important character and value of rural life, as well as the unique place of rural life in the life of the Church. This custom will continue again this summer when we hold our annual Rural Life Celebration on June 23 at the Anderson farm near Oakes. The Anderson family and the people of St. Charles parish in Oakes will host us this year, and all are welcome to join us for the Mass, blessings, meal, and fellowship. It has been a joy to celebrate this annual Mass in the beautiful rural settings of our diocese, and I hope to see many of you there. Look for details on page 8.

Rural life has always been a prominent part of our diocesan life and culture. The vast majority of our parishes are found in small towns and in the countryside, and a genuine spirituality of rural life has come forth from the life experience of our rural families and parishes. It’s no exaggeration to say that everyone in North Dakota has some connection with rural life, whether by personal experience, family relationships, or economic connections. The beauty of God’s creation and our call to be good stewards of that creation are fundamental to our faith. Our rural families and parishes show us the importance of “down to earth” faith and an abiding trust in God’s providence. Rural life certainly has more than its share of challenges, but it also offers wonderful opportunities for family and community life. It is a natural setting for faith to flourish, and our diocese is spiritually richer because of the strong faith of our rural families and parishes.

Since 2018, I have had the privilege of serving on the board of directors of Catholic Rural Life, formerly known as the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. Catholic Rural Life is a non-profit organization that promotes Catholic life in rural communities around our country. Catholic Rural Life was founded in 1923 by Fr. Edwin V. O’Hara, a priest who grew up in Oregon and eventually became the Bishop of Kansas City–St. Joseph. Our own Bishop (later Cardinal) Aloysius Muench of Fargo was also active in the rural life movement in those early days. Bishop O’Hara and Bishop Muench both realized the crucial importance of supporting Catholics who live in rural America, and that vision is still paramount in the work of Catholic Rural Life (CRL).

For several years now, Catholic Rural Life has sponsored a program of retreats for priests, called “Thriving in Rural Ministry.” These retreats offer an opportunity for priests from rural dioceses to deepen their own spirituality and their ability to serve their rural congregations. Several of our priests from the Diocese of Fargo have participated in these retreats, and found them to be a great support for their rural priestly ministry. With a smaller number of parishes and priests in rural America, it is important that our rural priests have the spiritual support they need to meet the many demands that come their way. These retreats are a wonderful resource for priests involved in the rural apostolate of our diocese.

Along those same lines, CRL offers a Rural Ministry Practicum for seminarians who will one day serve rural parishes and communities. In partnership with St. Paul Seminary, CRL presents a week-long summer course that focuses on the connections between Catholic teaching and agriculture. The practicum is designed to help seminarians understand rural life and ministry more personally, and includes field trips to local farms and interaction with Catholic farmers. They see first-hand the hard work and the deep joy that go hand in hand with rural life and agriculture. They also learn from pastors and farmers what the real life challenges are in rural areas and parishes. Our own seminarians have benefited from these experiences, and hopefully they will have a better understanding of their own future ministry as priests in the Diocese of Fargo.

CRL is also launching a program called Thriving Rural Congregations that will help to develop lay leadership in rural parishes. One of the strong points that I have seen in our rural parishes is the initiative and sense of cooperation among our parishioners. But the role of the lay faithful will become even more important as rural pastors take responsibility for more parishes. In cooperation with CRL, I hope our own diocese will be able to benefit from this project to strengthen our rural parishes and the leadership of our lay faithful. I also hope to re-establish our own local chapter of Catholic Rural Life in the Diocese of Fargo. There are many such local chapters around the country that strive to foster and celebrate rural Catholic culture. Individuals who have a passion for rural life and spirituality are invited to be part of our local chapter, and more information will be coming soon.

As we prepare for our Rural Life Celebration in Oakes, I offer a word of admiration and gratitude to all those who live and work in the rural communities and parishes of our diocese. I pray for our farmers, ranchers, agriculture workers, and family members who are living a rural life, and I ask our Heavenly Father to pour out his blessing on the whole expanse of our beloved diocese.