What would you like to know about St. Joan of Arc? Do you have a story about our parish or of general interest that you think others would like to hear? For story ideas, contact Jeff Rholl, jeff@stjoan.com.

Recently, a SJA Small Christian Community (SCC) road-tripped to near Luck, Wisconsin to visit the Anathoth Community Farm (ACF). The ACF newsletter says, “….we are an experiment in nonviolence, striving for social change in the most sustainable way we can…..” The SCC learned about ACF's incredible commitment to noble purposes during an enriching tour, discussion and meal with Mike and Barb, the community’s founders.

The visiting SCC, called the Seekers, journeyed to Anathoth Community Farm as one of their many activities  The Seekers have been meeting over 10 years, exploring spiritual, social, and personal issues through book study, guest speakers, seminars, movies, road trips and social events.  Current members are Tom and Mary Gorzycki, Larry Johnson, Gwen Perun, Mike Weber, Kathy Deacon-Weber, Shawn Gilbert, Peggy Langeslay, and Jerry and Trish Hartlaub.  The Seekers encourage all SJAers to join a SCC - maybe your SCC will visit ACF, too!

Presently the Anathoth Community Farm is a 9 member cooperative with four main activities:

1. Organizing nonviolent activities to promote a peaceful world
2. Analyzing and reporting on nuclear weapons, power and waste
3. Educating visitors and followers about their cooperative and their sustainable living
4. Supporting their life style by sustainable agriculture and a resourceful use of material things

Here are a few elements of the ACF lifestyle. Their buildings are largely made of recycled or locally available materials. They use some composting toilets and have learned diluted urine makes an excellent garden fertilizer. Hot water is produced by either solar heating or a small wood-burning boiler. (You need to plan ahead and expend some effort to enjoy a hot shower – not just turn a faucet.) Sustainable organic agriculture produces enough vegetables for their consumption and for sale at local markets. High thermal resistance window coverings conserve heat in winter. Dogs are used to scare off pests, especially deer, from their gardens.

The ACF is neither reclusive nor totally self-sustainable. They use high-speed-internet, computers, fax, telephones and printers to develop and maintain worldwide relationships, and to organize protests and resistance activities. And ordinary cars and planes are used to commute to marches and meetings. As Mike and Barb said, "We are proud of twenty years of non-violent direct action that has produced many victories and changes to government policy."

ACF hosts many visitors. From local grade schools to university students to foreign visitors – all have toured the “farm” to view another way of life and to learn about ACF's efforts to make the world a better place.

and

Jerry Hartlaub commutes from New Brighton with his wife, Trish, to be refreshed and challenged at the "SJA spiritual oasis". He's a Sunday mass slide jockey and "worker bee" at many SJA events. For fun he has written a bunch of poetry, printed his first book, and invented lots of stuff in a 30-year bioengineering career. These days he teaches cardiac physiology (but he's mostly retired), serves on non-profit boards, does Junior Achievement gigs and plays softball. But most rewarding is providing child-care for two of the world's smartest, cutest grandchildren.

For more info on Anathoth Community Farm activities or to plan a visit, visit websites anathothcommunityfarm.org and nukewatch.com. You can also attend an exciting July 7, 2007 TWENTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY at the farm for great music, food, networking and camping.  Picture courtesy of Anathoth Community Farm.