At first glance, farming and spirituality might seem worlds apart. One conjures images of soil and seeds, tractors, and greenhouses. The other, silent retreats, spiritual direction, discernment, and meditation. One is grounded in the land; the other, seemingly, in the heavens.
But spend a little time here at Ignatius Jesuit Centre, and the lines begin to blur. What appears at first to be a contrast becomes a conversation — a living dialogue between earth and spirit, action and contemplation. In some ways, regenerative farming can be understood as the practice of Ignatian spirituality.
Here’s how.
“Seeing God in All Things” includes the soil
At the heart of Ignatian spirituality is the call to “find God in all things.” Not just in church or during prayer, but in the everyday, the earth, and the ordinary. What better place to encounter the Divine than in the rhythm of the seasons, in the miracle of compost, in the quiet labour of tending crops with care?
At Ignatius Farm, this principle is not theoretical. It’s lived. Staff, volunteers, and community gardeners cultivate more than vegetables — they cultivate attentiveness. Each plant becomes a place of encounter with the sacred if we approach with eyes to see and hearts awake.
Discernment: Listening to the Land
Ignatian discernment is about paying deep attention to movements of the heart, to the gentle nudges of the Spirit. Regenerative farming, too, is a practice of listening: to the soil, to weather patterns, and to ecosystems. It rejects the extractive model of industrial agriculture in favour of relationality and responsiveness.
In regenerative farming, farmers discern daily: when to plant, when to rest a field, and how to respond to climate shifts or pests in ways that sustain rather than deplete. This is not a top-down imposition of human will, but a respectful dialogue with creation. It mirrors the spiritual discipline of humble listening: not forcing answers, but waiting for the right time, the right path, the right response.
A Commitment to Justice and Right Relationship
Ignatian spirituality always leads outward towards action, justice, and love in deeds more than words. Regenerative farming, then, can be seen as a commitment to ecological justice. It respects the dignity of workers, the integrity of the earth, and the needs of future generations.
Ignatius Farm is a living expression of this commitment. From its training programs that mentor new ecological farmers to its community garden plots to its collaboration with farmers through acreage rentals, the farm is much more than food. It’s about restoring relationships between people and planet and between inner call and outer action.
So yes, Ignatian spirituality and farming may start from different places, but here at Ignatius Jesuit Centre, they meet in the middle. The fields of Ignatius Farm bring St. Ignatius’s teachings to life in the soil we tend, the tools we use, and the seeds that remind us of hope. To walk the farm is to walk a spiritual path, one foot in front of the other, one season at a time. Trusting that grace, like garlic, grows best when planted with care and harvested with joy.
Come be part of the Ignatius Farm community. See what garden plots and acreage rentals are available.