Gifts from God’s Garden
Sisters Cultivate Food for the Table and fuel for the Spirit
Sister Gracy Kundukulam displays the colorful bounty from her small garden at San Damiano Convent in Pittsburgh.
Sister Roselyn Kuzma lovingly weeds around the graves of deceased Sisters at St. Francis Cemetery in Pittsburgh.
A multi-generational group picks produce at the Monocacy Farm Project.
The first batch of tomatoes harvested from Sister Pat Marie's plant.
“Of all the wonderful things
in the wonderful universe of God,
nothing seems to me more surprising
than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof.”
Gardens large and small yield a bounty of blessings for our Sisters and our friends in faith. Whether its fresh produce donated to needy families in the Lehigh Valley through our Monocacy Farm Project or the small batch of ripe tomatoes picked from a single porch-grown vine at Mt. Assisi Place, the earth provides food on our plates and fuel for our spirits amid a pandemic.
Three days a week, patrons of all ages come to the Monocacy Farm in Bethlehem, Pa., to take part in the Pick-Your-Own produce program. Their patronage helps support distribution of nutritious fruits and vegetables through soup kitchens, food banks and social service organizations in the surrounding area.
Some 300 miles away in Pittsburgh, Sister Gracy Kundukulam tends to her plants at San Damiano Convent, always seeking gardening tips and tricks to enhance her small crop. She fills a small basket with the fresh vegetables that will go directly to the dinner table for the Sisters there.
Beyond their nutritive value, these harvests of all sizes offer spiritual blessings, as well, serving as hobbies and distractions from current events. On any given day, you can find Sister Roselyn Kuzma in the small cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place. She weeds around the graves of our deceased Sisters, praying to them for our collective recovery from the pandemic.
“I spend quiet hours with them in the cemetery,” Sister says. “It is the holiest and quietest place on our grounds.”
The efforts needn’t be grand to be fulfilling. It’s been a labor of love for Sister Pat Marie Buranosky to watch a single tomato plant nurtured on a balcony at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh finally bear fruit. “The harvest is great,” she says.
Summer flowers picked from Monocacy Farm burst with vibrant color.
Patrons of the Pick-You-Own program at Monocacy Farm bring even the youngest gardeners to harvest.