Bishop Richard F. Reidy opens the Blessing of the Farm near the barn at Wehpittituck Farm, its loft doors draped with an American flag.
As farmers moved into the heart of the growing and harvest season, members of the Catholic community gathered under a clear summer sky on Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a Blessing of the Farm at Wehpittituck Farm on Cove Road in Stonington. Bishop Richard F. Reidy led the outdoor rite in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology and animals, giving thanks for the land and asking God's continued protection over the farm, its crops, and the people who tend it.
In a homily offered before the blessing, Bishop Reidy reflected on the life of St. Francis — a saint, he noted, whose early years looked a great deal like those of many people today. Born to a wealthy cloth merchant, Francis spent his father's money freely on parties and friends, then sought glory as a knight, only to be captured and imprisoned for the better part of a year during a battle against Perugia. It was afterward, praying before the crucifix at the ruined church of San Damiano outside Assisi, that he heard the Lord's call: "Francis, rebuild my church, as you see it is falling into ruin."
Francis began by repairing the stone walls of San Damiano and the small chapel of the Porziuncola, the bishop explained, before realizing God was calling him to something larger. His embrace of a leper on the road — an encounter with "those who were cast aside" — opened his heart to the suffering of others and led him to a life of poverty, simplicity, and joy in creation itself.
Bishop Reidy addresses the gathering in the field, with the farm's grounds stretching toward the tree line.
THE CANTICLE OF CREATURES
Bishop Reidy read from St. Francis's own Canticle of the Creatures, one of the earliest surviving works of Italian literature and a hymn of praise for the created world:
"Praise be to you, my Lord, especially brother sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light…
Praise be to you, my Lord, through sister moon and the stars in heaven; you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praise be to you, my Lord, through brother wind, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.
Praise be to you, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praise be to you, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night…
Praise be to you, my Lord, through our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us and who produces various fruits, colored flowers, and herbs."
"Consistent with this year of St. Francis and a life of humility and appreciation for the earth, we have to thank those who tend the earth," the bishop said, turning to thank the farm's owners and workers by name for making the day possible.
A FARMER'S ABUNDANCE
Bishop Reidy recalled a childhood memory of a magazine cover depicting an overpopulated, overwhelmed globe — an image tied to the dire predictions of the 1970s "population bomb," when some forecast mass starvation within a generation. Those predictions, he noted, did not come to pass, in no small part because of the work of farmers who "cooperate with God" in bringing forth the harvest. Life expectancy, he observed, has risen by nearly 40 percent over the last 40 years.
He connected that gratitude to Pope Leo's recent teaching on artificial intelligence and technology: new tools can be used well, the bishop said, but "be careful, don't let it take you over." Farming asks the same discipline — working the land not just for a season's profit but for "the common good that we need to pass on to our next generation."
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With the aspergillum raised, Bishop Reidy blesses the fields and orchard, asking protection from wind, hail, and insects and an abundant harvest for the season ahead.
THE BLESSING OF THE FIELDS
The bishop then led the gathering in prayer over the farm, invoking St. Paul's image of the faithful as "a field under God's cultivation" and Christ's words that "I am the vine and you are the branches." The community prayed together for the fields to "yield the food we need," asking that the harvest be blessed and protected.
"All holy Lord and Father, you have commanded us to work the land and cultivate it. Your devoted people now pray that you will grant us an abundant harvest from these fields and orchards.
In your goodness, protect these lands from wind, hail and insects, and let a rich crop grow from the seeds that are planted and sowed here.
May these farmers find a good, fair price in the market for their crops, and may they continue to support us by their wholesome life, being close to the earth, in caring for the good of all. We ask this. Amen."
With that, Bishop Reidy sprinkled holy water over the rows of crops and the orchard, walking the length of the field as the small crowd of parishioners and farm family followed along.
Bishop Reidy blesses the harvest, joined by farm workers and parishioners in the field at Wehpittituck Farm.
"Go in thanks to God," the bishop concluded, thanking everyone for coming out for the afternoon and lingering afterward to visit with the farmers and walk the grounds.