THE CATHOLIC FARMER MOVEMENT.

Lest I be accused of flying under a false flag, I just made up that statement. I think the idea comes from my mental investigations into what I perceive is going on in the world of media and religious relevance around me.

I am struck by the absolute explosion of those who are Catholic in their way of thinking (granted that I am not you; you are not me; God is not us; and we, most certainly not God). I like what I see.

Catholics, who are using media to express their personal reflections on making new wine skins from the wine Christ gives them each day, are “doing” their Faith as the Holy Spirit is unleashed among both clergy and Laity. Being Catholic in these ministries means the individuality of the believer is freed from the constraints of past stereotypes of what it means to be Catholic, from conformity to rules, and from opening up the Church as a seedbed of energy and camaraderie, all with the purpose of capacitas dei (Christ must increase and I must decrease).

UNLOCKING THE HOLY SPIRIT

Here are some of my thoughts on what I see in media, particularly on Facebook and LinkedIn.

• I like what I think is the rise of personal ministries by Catholics who genuinely want to share their faith commitment with others.
• I am quite hopeful about the future when I see younger bloggers and podcasters use media to preach Christ crucified.
• Some caveats might be: Be careful not to fall into the trap of the Protestant Principle, where your Faith is guided by, and measured by you and what you think the Bible (Scriptures) says about Jesus. Christ without the Church, which has borne that burden over the centuries, is just a matter of personal opinion.
• The Catholic Church is the living Body of Christ with Christ as the head, and we (in Heaven, on earth, and those awaiting purification in Purgatory with Hope) are the crucial cog in the wheel who make that Jesus known first in the upper room of our inner selves where we have a personal relationship with Jesus (thank you Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, may you rest in the peace of Christ), seeking and preferring nothing to the love of Christ (thank you St. Benedict, Chapter 4 of the Rule).
• My awareness now is that more and more individual Catholics want to use their Faith perspectives to share with others the lights of their good works so that others may see them and give glory to the Father.
• Catholicism is the only way because Christ is the only way. The Body is not cut off from the Head (Jesus) unless individual Catholics begin to think they speak FOR the Holy Spirit rather than preach how they live the Gospel message of the forgiveness of sins and keep Jesus in their hearts through the Eucharist. You can be a progressive Catholic (one who actively evangelizes without proselytizing) and be a Farmer who must tend the soil around them, fertilizing it, working the land, keeping away pesky mites and critters, harvesting it, distributing it, and receiving the rewards promised to the stewards who took care of the Master’s harvest. Catholicism takes work to dig for heavenly gold on earth. We are farmers! (Where have I heard that before?)
• Like any work, we use the tools at our disposal in each age. This is the age of YouTube, Pedcasts, AI, Grok, and ministries that were heretofore limiting Catholics to being what they perceived to be a straightjacked role, rather than discovering the Holy Spirit is actually energy, God’s energy, available for free (must costing everyTHING you have or own), yet not performed with your help to dig for heavenly gold on earth then share it with others.
• To help you farm, the Church is the Farm Bureau that gives you food (Christ’s own Body and blood) and helps you to repair breakdowns (Forgiveness of Sins) so that your harvest, depending entirely on you to plant the seeds (Christ is the seed and gives the issue) on good ground, and take time to cultivate it (conversio morae) every day (contemplative spiritual practices of being present to Jesus and doing what He tells you.)
• I made the mistake of asking the Holy Spirit during one of my sit-down sessions in that upper room of my inner self to hit me with a dose that would give me more energy. I asked what the Holy Spirit thought of what I was doing, confident that HS would say, “Good job, faithful servant.” Instead, I received a mental picture of myself that scared the Hell out of me, literally. I confused my ego with the admonition of Christ, that if I wanted to be a disciple, I must sell what I have, give to the poor (Anawim), and follow Him. This has been an abandonment enabled by the Catholic Church in their rich depository of how to “Have in you the mind of Christ Jesus.” I was accepted as a Lay Cistercian by the abbot of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery (Trappist) (www.trappist.net). Lay Cistercians are only one of many Lay traditions that allow Laity to embrace the particular charisms of a religious order, in addition to their membership in the Body of Christ. Look it up.

In conclusion, I am overwhelmed by the wellspring of Faith bubbling up from what I consider to be a corrupted and flawed society that is not grounded in God or Jesus.

Here are some websites that have changed my life.

Six Core Websites Every Catholic Should Memorize and Use Frequently: www.wordonfire.com; www.scotthahn.com; www.usccb.org; www.newadvent.org; https://thecenterforcontemplativepractice.org/; www.vatican.va

Copyright 2026. Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. The Center for Contemplative Practice. All Rights Reserved.