Makarioi Catholic Worker Farm and Eco-Village

The Values
We are in the beginning stages of forming an intentional community on commonly shared land that is guided by three S’s: spirituality, sustainability, and social justice.
Spirituality – We believe we are connected to something much larger than ourselves and beyond the merely material, call it God, Creator, the Universe, the Cosmos. It is this belief that gives way to the deeper meaning of connection, a great weaver that weaves the fabric of life together. We pay homage to this Creator in the many interfaith forms in which it is manifested and engage in a collective and ongoing conversation and exploration of faith traditions, stories, philosophies, values, and rituals of multiple religions unrestricted by dogma.
Sustainability – We believe that all of creation has agency and life. Therefore it must be respected and protected. We envision our community being a place where we are a part of the ecosystem – from sustainable gardening practices, to carbon neutral dwellings, to efficient animal husbandry, to forms of activism outside of the community. We aim to be a visible gateway and witness to what needs to be in the here and now to preserve, heal, and restore to its natural course of evolution the natural and human world.
Social Justice – We believe that all beings are equally and wonderfully made. From the human person to the Joshua trees all are made equally. We live in a society that does not value the equality of the human person and does not value the pricelessness of the Joshua trees. We aim to be a visible witness to a society that knows and lives out equality for all. We will endeavor to create a safe and inclusive environment that is of welcome to people who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other communities which know oppression. We also aim to create a space where the physical environment is upheld and honored as its own life force. And we seek to creatively and courageously challenge the assumptions, habits, systems, and structures of ourselves and the world that continue this oppression and dishonor.
The Vision
We envision creating a multi-family Catholic Worker farm along the urban-rural divide. It would be far enough from the city to form a space of peace, retreat, and the growing of organic food and native plants, but close enough to the city to support the work of justice among its residents and to be in collaboration with the other intentional communities and justice organizations there, in particular the Mustard Seed, St. Francis and St. Teresa Catholic Worker, and Annunciation House.
Our tentative name is Makarioi Catholic Worker Farm, which refers to the Greek term often translated as blessed or happy in the Beatitudes and which designates to the joy that comes with living in accord with these core Gospel teachings. The community will aim to organize its life according to these Beatitudes – that is to be beggars in spirit, mourning for the pain and loss of the world, being gentle and nonviolent, hungering and thirsting for justice, showing mercy, having integrity of intention, actively making peace, and accepting persecution for the sake of justice.
Recognizing that structures of injustice, exclusion, and oppression have robbed many people of the ability to participate fully in society and denied society the fruits of diverse experiences, ways of thinking, and cultures, the Markarioi will be a diverse community and take active steps toward including members of historically excluded and oppressed groups as full and equal participants in community life and communal governance. These groups include but are not limited to those of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Steps taken will include active participation in the work to eliminate racial, economic, and sexual injustice, participation in circles that include diverse membership, and the formation of a nonprofit to subsidize the cost of membership for those otherwise unable to acquire shares. The community will seek to embody St. Paul’s Body of Christ image in which different members will have different roles according to their gifts and experiences but where all such roles are equally respected and work together toward the common good.
The Community
We’re hoping that about 3 to 4 other families would share this land and vision with us, while each having their own dwelling and living space. We intend to engage in some form of hospitality on this land in a way that aligns with all residents’ privacy and safety needs. In addition to the core residential group, we envision this community containing a number of concentric circles of supporters, organizations, and communities (including the Worcester Catholic Worker communities and Agape) that participate in community life and collaborate in mission in various ways.
The community as a whole and each of its members will engage in the work of social justice in micro, mezzo, and macro ways, of which the community will decide the frequency, participation, duration, and display of such social action. Four areas of particular focus will be:
Providing therapeutic and spiritual healing in communion with nature
Providing hospitality and support to people experiencing homelessness
Serving as a witness to communal and sustainable living and encouraging others to adopt similar practices in their own lives
Engaging in direct action seeking systemic change