JEFFERSON — “Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation . . . And so it happened: the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:11-12)
“The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I lack.” (Psalm 23)
“He said, ‘This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how
. . . And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.’” (from Mark 4:26-29)
The readings for the May 15 Mass at St. Lawrence Church honoring rural life — from Genesis, Psalm 23, and Mark — “speak to the beauty of the earth and creativity and fertility of God,” said Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison who celebrated the Mass.
As he reflected on the readings, the bishop said despite Adam’s downfall, God asked him to take care of the garden and be a steward of the world.
From the gardens and fields, God feeds us. He gives us the fruits of the earth to provide the bread and wine for the Holy Eucharist.
Farming as a vocation
Farming is truly a vocation, said Bishop Hying. “I have never met a farmer who is an atheist. They tap into nature. They tap into God’s world.”
The bishop, who was born in West Allis, spoke of spending a week each summer on his grandparents’ farm near Highland.
“It was fun for us city kids to bale hay, feed the chickens, and run around.”
His father, Albert Hying, grew up in the diocese on farms in Grant and Iowa Counties, “but his heart was always on the farm.”
He left the farm to serve in World War II and then moved to the city.
Celebrating the Mass on the feast day of St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers and food producers, Bishop Hying said the saint and his wife put God first.
They were day laborers in Spain and started their day attending Mass.
“It was said the angels helped Isidore do his work when he was in prayer. If we put God in the center, everything flows.”
The bishop asked for “blessings on our farmers for a rich harvest and for all of us in the diocese that we may know the love of Christ.”
Growth in rural ministry
During his homily, Bishop Hying thanked Fr. Tom Coyle, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish which includes St. Lawrence and St. John the Baptist Churches, for his hospitality.
He cited the good work of Tom Nelson, diocesan rural life coordinator, and for his “bringing fresh animation and energy to the rural life ministry.”
The bishop announced that the rural ministry will soon start listening sessions, which were canceled this past year due to the pandemic, in each of the counties of the diocese.
“We want to be helpful in a practical way.” Most of the parishes in the diocese serve rural people.
Participating in the service with the bishop were Frs. Jim Murphy, Montfort/Highland; Vincent Brewer, Watertown; Luke Syse, Madison; and Gregory Ihm, diocesan director of vocations.
Deacon Jim Hoegemeier read the Gospel from Mark; and Tom Nelson, diocesan rural life coordinator, read from Genesis and Psalm 23.
Cantor Jane Schuld sang “For the Beauty of the Earth”, “You Satisfy the Hungry Heart”, and “Let All Things Now Living”, accompanied by Gail Bisbach on the organ.
Blessing of farm implements and animals
Following Mass, Bishop Hying blessed the farm implements in the parking lot, seeds and soils that had been brought to the church.
He also blessed a cat and two chickens brought by a family.