COVINGTON – Like a mustard seed, St. John the Baptist Parish’s Garden of the Good Shepherd has grown — both in the fruits and vegetables it produces for neighbors struggling with food insecurity and in the faith of the parish’s Creation Care Team.

“Jesus did have a lot of parables about gardening,” said Margie Battisti, a retired biology teacher who is a parish garden coordinator. “There was a lot to learn.”

During early August, the parish collected 77 pounds of produce — beets, cabbage, carrots, squash, beans and cucumbers — to help The Storehouse, a Covington food bank that serves close to 250 families each week. And from 2015-2020, the parish garden donated 1,645 pounds of produce to The Storehouse, according to Battisti, who keeps harvest records.

Some of that produce comes from the “little plot with a lot of love,” as Battisti refers to the garden. The rest of it comes from parishioners with “green thumbs and generous hearts” who are encouraged to bring donations of home-grown or store-bought produce to the church during the summer months, said Andrea Mendoza, pastoral assistant for social outreach and advocacy. During the Season of Creation — Sept. 1 to Oct. 4 — parishioners are invited to bring these gifts forward during the offertory at Sunday Mass.

“It’s pretty incredible to see the generosity of our community members through these gifts,” Mendoza said.

Planting the seeds

The seeds for the Garden of the Good Shepherd were planted in 2014 after parish members completed JustFaith, a program that “empowered individuals to grow in the areas of solidarity and justice,” according to the St. John the Baptist website.

Parishioners already had a relationship with The Storehouse — picking up food from distribution centers, donating nonperishable food and volunteering. Then, inspired by another local church with a garden, parishioners decided to expand that relationship by providing garden-fresh produce, Battisti said.

A core team of volunteers tends to the garden — planting, weeding and harvesting, Battisti said, adding that the garden is “blessed” to have an irrigation system. Members of the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 11780 also lend a hand. One year, a team of Girl Scouts from the parish and a neighboring parish built a raised bed and collection crate and created a brochure and video for the garden.

“We also have occasional volunteers who have helped out as the Holy Spirit moves them,” Battisti said.

Father Bill McKee, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, blesses the parish’s Marian Pollinator Garden Sept. 3 to kick off the Season of Creation, which extends through Oct. 4. (Courtesy St. John the Baptist Parish)

Recently, the parish’s Creation Care Team (connected with Earth Ministry’s Greening Congregations program) developed the Marian Pollinator Garden next to the Garden of the Good Shepherd.

The flower and herb garden, funded with a grant from the Victory Noll Sisters through Catholic Climate Covenant, is home to plants that are selected based on their native status, pollinator benefits, survival in full sun and low invasiveness, Battisti explained. The plants also have a connection to Mary.

Some of those plants include wild rose, also known as Heart of Mary; yarrow (Christ’s back), lupine (Flight to Egypt) and marigolds, which Battisti said according to a legend, Mary used as money and early Christians put marigold blooms at her feet instead of coins as an offering.

Work on the garden began in December 2021, when the Creation Care Team prepared the soil using the “back to Eden” method of layering newspaper, compost and woodchips, a method that was also used for the Garden of the Good Shepherd, Battisti said. Irrigation and fencing were installed in March.

The garden, a certified St. Kateri Habitat, was blessed Sept. 3 by Father Bill McKee, pastor of St. John the Baptist.

Battisti said the parish gardens help her connect the community and shine a light on the involvement of others. While working in the garden, Battisti said, she enjoys answering questions, sharing stories and swapping growing tips with parishioners and passers-by.

“That’s what I love about this,” she said. “With God, everything is connected. It brings me joy.”