When I was Hungry You Gave Me Something to Eat

By KAT LARSON

Britta Blain is a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona. She is a woman of many talents; if you visit the Cathedral, you might see her singing or possibly hear her playing the flute. In addition to her musical talents, she has the gift for making sourdough bread, which she bakes in her microbakery, Castlerock Sourdough, attached to her home in rural Fountain City, WI.

I had the privilege of visiting Britta and witnessing the entire production that making sourdough bread involves. The act of making this bread is nothing less than life-giving. As I walked up to Britta's kitchen, I could feel a sense of joy filling my heart. I knew I was entering a place inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

When I walked in, I was greeted not only by Britta, but by three other women, including her youngest daughter, Fiona. All three were moving at lightning speed, performing an assortment of tasks. I was in awe; I could never manage everything as quickly and capably as they did. Some were preparing bread for the oven; Britta and Fiona were placing bread in the oven and taking bread out as they were greeting customers coming to purchase the bread. After I came in, Britta was able to not only continue with all her tasks but also tell me all the benefits sourdough bread has for the human body.

Britta has struggled with health issues throughout her life and sought ways to heal them. She found part of her answer in the sourdough itself, with its unique fermentation process making it easier to digest than other breads; but there is also a spiritual dimension to her healing, which has come from running a business grounded in the Catholic faith.

Britta was not always a Catholic; she was Lutheran until she went through RCIA and was confirmed as a Catholic on December 14, 2019. Her journey with the Lord centered around the Holy Eucharist in the adoration chapel, where she had become a regular visitor during a life crisis. Her experience there, receiving such peace and assurance that God would see her through, was what drew her to Catholicism.

Britta has always been a baker, and her children grew up baking as well. Fiona, Britta’s youngest daughter, started baking when she was three years old, and is now the manager of Castlerock Sourdough. Linnea, a trained artist and Britta’s second-youngest daughter, rendered a beautiful mural, inspired by the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels at Winona's Alverna Center, in a grotto-like area of the bakery where Britta’s mixer, Maja, is located. Many of Britta’s children have helped at the bakery at one time or another, forming dough, creating artwork, or performing music for guests to the bakery on weekly Wednesday “Buy it HOT Out of the Oven” nights.

After becoming a Catholic, Britta's sourdough bakery became her focus and it flourished. She went to farmers markets where she established longlasting community connections. These connections were evident during my visit; as I made my way up a small hill to her home, I was greeted by several of her regular customers. Everyone knew Britta and loved her bread, but, more importantly, they loved Britta.

I felt as though I was seeing the word of God being lived out: "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat" (Matthew 25:35). Britta literally gave me bread and water - focaccia and mineral water, in fact. While there was a general atmosphere of "hustle and bustle" in the kitchen, there was also an overarching sense of peace I can only attribute to Britta's faith in the Lord.

"You always have to burn some bread," she remarked, hinting at real trust in the Lord's plan. We are sinners and not perfect just as the process of making bread does not always turn out a perfect loaf. Britta was always the first one to admit her mistakes in the kitchen and she was also the first person to compliment another when a loaf was made exceptionally well.

Britta's is a true example of giving your life to the Lord, knowing that it will bear good fruit - or good bread in this case. Starting in the adoration chapel and laying her fears in front of Jesus even when she did not know how to make the sign of the cross, she trusted in him and, slowly, the Lord transformed her life. Her sourdough business had humble beginnings. She baked in leaky 50-year-old home ovens and mixed the dough in big Rubbermaid bins by hand, selling from her front porch, making 4-8 loaves a week. Today, she has a licensed commercial bakery with state-of-the-art ovens and can make several more loaves a day.

From my perspective, Britta's business is thriving, but it might be better said that Britta is flourishing. She is even working toward a two-year diploma in sourdough bread baking from Vanessa Kimbell, The Sourdough School, which is devoted to educating people about the healing properties of sourdough.

At the end of one of Britta's reflections on eucharistic adoration, she quoted Psalm 27:4: "One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek: to dwell in the Lord's house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord's beauty and visit his temple." If you visit Castlerock Sourdough, you will see the Lord's house with Britta dwelling there as his devoted servant.

Kat Larson is an administrative assistant to the Office of Evangelization in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

If you know a person in the Diocese of WinonaRochester who is living out the Catholic Faith in a distinctive way, and who wouldn't mind being featured in The Courier, please email Nick Reller at nreller@ dowr.org.