When Father Michael Miller, pastor of St. Patrick in Cedar Lake Township and St. Catherine in Spring Lake Township, was growing up on a farm in New Prague, one of his hens hatched a clutch of chicks. He watched the mother hen feed and gather her chicks under her wings when they needed warmth or protection.
Father Miller said that he is reminded of that memory when Christ states his desire to “gather your (Israel’s) children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings,” in Matthew 23:37.
Father Miller will soon gather many of the members of his flock on his childhood farm, where he now resides, on June 23 for the annual Rural Life Sunday Mass and celebration. The Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Joseph Williams and is sponsored by Catholic Rural Life — a national organization that supports farmers and rural pastors — will be followed by a celebration that will include lunch, polka dancing and a petting zoo. The event is open to the public.
Father Miller told “Practicing Catholic” radio show producer Kayla Mayer that his childhood on the farm formed him “in every way.”
“The way of life on the farm is just simply different. You are totally, or at least very much, dependent upon God as a farmer. You plant the seed, you prepare the soil, and then you have to pray and pray that there’s enough rain, there’s enough sun, that there’s no hailstorms or other storms. You live in hope and that hope is fulfilled when you harvest and you have a good harvest,” he said. “That’s what life is like, too. (In) life in Christ, (the) seed of his grace is planted in us in baptism, and then we live in hope of eternal life.”
His parents purchased the farm in 1964 and used it as a dairy farm, complete with 41 cows, until 1994. Father Miller purchased the farm from his parents and received permission to live there from the parish cluster he serves, which is roughly 10 miles away from the farm, he said. He calls the farm “A Taste of Heaven.”
“I came up with (the name) ‘A Taste of Heaven’ because I was trying to articulate what it feels like in coming back and I realized then that God gives us what we need to keep us going. He sustains us. He holds us in his hand,” he said. “I could just see (that the farm) is a taste of heaven and when we’re in the father’s house, we’re safe and we’re serene.”
To hear more about how Father Miller’s experiences on the farm formed his priesthood and to learn what to expect at Rural Life Sunday, tune in to the “Practicing Catholic” episode that debuts at 9 p.m. June 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. June 15 and 2 p.m. June 16.
For details about how to attend the celebration, visit catholicrurallife.org/event/archdiocese-of-st-paul-and-minneapolis-rural-life-celebration
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program also includes a discussion with Bishop Williams about his call to be the coadjutor bishop for Camden, New Jersey. Also, St. Paul-based Catholic wedding photographers Katzie and Ben Nelson offer insight into marriage.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
