Rural Life Ministry

Century Farm Registry for St. Marys and Sidney Deaneries

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Catholic Rural Life Conference of St. Marys and Sidney Deaneries would like to honor Catholic families who have farmed and nurtured the same land for 100 years or more and we’ll honor the oldest farms at the 2012 Farm Mass.  Please click here for an application.

The distribution of blessed soil after the annual Farm Mass is a tradition in the St. Mary’s and Sidney Deaneries.
The tradition continued at Sidney Lehman High School after this year’s Farm Mass.

What is Rural Ministry. . .

Dedicated parishioners, priests, religious and bishops join together in a common purpose to the rural church, rural people, and their communities.  The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is served by two Rural Life Conferences, which operate under the auspices of the Catholic Social Action Office:  The Catholic Rural Life Conference of St. Marys and Sidney Deaneries and the St. Martin Rural Life Conference.  These conferences educate and assist parishes and parishioners about rural life concerns by identifying needs, providing resources and advocating a moral perspecitvie.

The St. Marys and Sidney Deaneries Rural Life Conference covers Darke, Mercer, Auglaize, Shelby and Miami Counties.  For a brochure of information on this organization, please click here.

The St. Martin Rural Life Conference is organizationally located within the St. Martin Deanery and meets regularly at St. Mary Church in Arnheim, Brown County.  The St. Martin Deanery covers five counties in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati: Adams,  Brown, Clinton, Highland, and the western portion of Clermont.  For brochure of information on this organization, please click here.

Check out this January 2012 article from The Catholic Telegraph to learn about the work of the conference and to meet one of the farm families involved: “Catholic farm families share gifts and challenges of rural life.”

The conference:

• Assists parishes in organizing “rural life masses” and other observances
• Provides liturgy resources for rural parishes
• Promotes prayer, healing and reconciliation
• Monitors state and national legislation; advocates and prepares statements and provides legislators with resources on rural issues.
• Provides parishes with resources on farm, rural and environmental issues.
• Monitors and influences land use and development planning
• Works for credit and lending for farmers
• Advises and updates the Archbishop and the Catholic Social Action Commission.

Experience a “Rural Plunge!”

Both Archdiocesan rural life conferences offer immersion experiences for parishioners and students from inner-city and suburban parishes into rural communities.  These enlightening opportunities expose participants to the joys and struggles of local farm families and provides them with a greater appreciation of rural life values and the source of food.  To learn more, download the Rural Plunge Brochure.

Ohio Rural Life Conference

Ohio CRLC Website

This site provides Rural Life resources such as rural life prayers, legislative updates, Catholic social teaching and more!

National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC)

NCRLC WebSite