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JULY 21, 2011 Volume LXXXV • Number 35 www.evangelist.org
GREEN CATHOLICS
Young Faith
Our “Going Green” section starts below and continues on pages 5-7.
Photos from an Auriesville gathering for Catholic youth and the Vatican’s positive reaction to “Harry Potter”: Pages 9 and 16
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T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E D I O C E S E O F A L B A N Y
GOING
GREEN
PROFILE
It’s a farmer’s life BY CASEY NORMILE
STA F F W R I T E R
REV. ROBERT DEMARTINIS, pastor of St. Stanislaus parish in Amsterdam, sits on the Vespa scooter he uses to save gas while driving around the city. At 60 miles per gallon, it’s also a money-ssaver — although not an option in bad weather. (Nate Whitchurch photo) PARISH SALES
Fair-trade coffee a staple in Crescent BY ANGELA CAVE
STA F F W R I T E R
St. Mary’s parish in Crescent has been helping the environment through fair-trade coffee sales for an impressive 15 years. Twice a month, the parish’s Building Bridges committee sells coffee it buys from a cooperative in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. The parishioners note that buying directly from small growers in developing countries ensures that farmers receive a just wage and keep their jobs and land; it also allows farmers in those countries to use organic growing methods and protects local ecosystems. “It’s going to help the sustenance farmer,” said Santa Orlando, co-chair of Building Bridges. “They’re not the one
with the factories doing the most pollution.” The coffee arrives at St. Mary’s wrapped in tinfoil and placed in a canvas bag. The parish sends the canvas bags back to be reused. St. Mary’s sends 100 percent of the proceeds from the coffee sales to its two sister parishes, San Pedro Jocopilas and San Bartolome Jocotenango, both located in Quiche, Guatemala. Groups of Crescent parishioners often visit there; a halfdozen parishioners will make the trip in August. The U.S. economy has affected sales, but St. Mary’s still sells about 10 17-ounce bags of coffee each month. FAIR-TRADE COFFEE A STAPLE IN CRESCENT, SEE PAGE 6
“It’s a hard life, but it’s a good life,” said 70-year-old Raymond Steidle, gazing from his front porch to his barn across the road. “Farming is not just a job. You live it; it becomes your life.” Mr. Steidle has owned 300 acres in Cobleskill since 1979, but has been farming since 1965. Although he’s a native of Brooklyn, he was drawn to farming as a young boy when he visited upstate farms with his family. After helping out on various farms in his youth, he started out on his own with only a few dozen cows. Today, Mr. Steidle and his wife of 42 years, Debbie, have more than 100 cattle to care for on “Deb-Ray Farm.” In his 46 years in the business, Mr. Steidle has seen farming change significantly. When the family first moved to Cobleskill, there were more than 300 farms in the area, with fewer cows producing about 40 to 50 pounds of milk a day. Farm machinery was not as widespread or advanced, and a much larger percentage of
THE STEIDLES (CASEY NORMILE PHOTOS)
DROUGHT
Pope pleads: Help Africa BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
the American population were farmers. Today, less than 2 percent of the U.S. population claim farming as their occupation and 40 percent of American farmers are over the age of 55. But as the number of farmers has declined, the demand for their products has only increased. Mr. Steidle told The Evangelist that there are only 68 farmers in his area today, “but the farms are bigger now to meet the demand.” Mrs. Steidle said that her family has dabbled in everything from vegetables to sheep, chickens and pigs. Today, they still grow sweet corn to sell at the local farmer’s market, but the only other animals you’ll find on their farm are their two dogs, Rufus and Riley — plus a llama, a donkey, two workhorses and a noisy goose. “The donkey and the horses don’t do much; they’re just here for retirement,” Mr. Steidle joked. As for the llama, he was a gift from a friend and now spends his days “just hanging out with the cows.”
Castel Gandolfo, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI urged the international community to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, where tens of thousands have fled drought and famine. The pope, addressing pilgrims at his summer residence outside Rome, said he had been following news of the region’s humanitarian catastrophe with “deep concern.” U.N. experts say the prolonged drought, combined with a rise in food prices, have forced many families to make long and often deadly overland treks to reach refugee camps. “Innumerable people are fleeing from that tremendous famine in search of food and assistance. I hope the international community will increase its efforts to quickly send aid to our sorely tested brothers and sisters, among them many children,” the pope said. “Our solidarity and the concrete assistance of all people of good will should not be lacking.” On July 16, the Vatican announced it was making an initial aid contribution of 50,000 euros ($70,000) for the victims of the crisis in Somalia. The funds were sent in the pope’s
IT’S A FARMER’S LIFE, SEE PAGE 6
POPE PLEADS: HELP AFRICA, SEE PAGE 10
MR. STEIDLE AND FRIEND