Thank you everyone who has read, liked, and commented. I'm not sure why this particular post from my obscure and humble Substack has struck a chord, but the response is gratifying. I am neither scholar nor theologian, and certainly not a philosopher--I've been known to describe myself as an over-educated peasant. I am a convert to Catholicism living in a little-known corner of the Empire State. I grew up on a family dairy farm. I know somewhat of the structural changes in agriculture in recent decades, and I know hard work. (I was not destined to be a farmer.) Farming will not succeed if it is primarily an ideological project of the people involved. I think one reason Catholic Worker farm projects have had little success here in the U.S. (my outlook is parochial, not world-encompassing) is simply this: the CW draws from college-educated urbanites. Farming is hard enough if lived in a culture and tradition with handed-down wisdom; it is even harder if one tries living in a foreign (rural) culture with limited access to many urban amenities. The people I know who are living as Catholic farmers are doing so as families, not as a collective. They make great sacrifices to make a go of it. My next piece coming out (Monday the 16th) might also be a rejoinder to Larry Chapp, though that was not how I was originally thinking of it. For the record: I have no animus against Dr. Chapp, I just think he's wrong on some subjects. The next post looks at the Bicentennial, Montreal, Teilhard, and Abp. Lefebvre; it is another slice of my life so far, and I hope you will come back to take a look.