The Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines held the 5th Annual Rural Life Mass at the farm of Greg and Lori Kautzky Sunday.
The setting, Bishop Richard Pates said, could not have been more fitting, as the land on and around 18443 195th St. had been in the Kautzky family since 1899.
“For well over a century this farm has passed down through the same family, who obviously love the land and love working it,” the bishop said. “All of us, especially those who are what we might call ‘city folk’ would do well to stop and consider that the food with which we in America have been so abundantly blessed doesn’t come from a grocery store — it comes from farms like this one.”
Father Paul Nguyen, pastor of St. Patricks parish in Perry, helped celebrate the mass, as did Deacon Luke Tieskoetter.
Also on hand to celebrate was Father Zach Kautzky, who had spent his boyhood on the farm. He is currently chaplain at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines.
In his homily Bishop Pates said that agriculture was a gift — indeed a miraculous one — from God.
“The air, the water, the soil — all these things are miracles of themselves and have been given to us freely by our loving God,” he said. “It is responsibility to use these gifts wisely and charitably. We are blessed in America with abundance and while millions face starvation every day, we throw away 40 percent — 40 percent — of the food we are served.
“We have made so much progress and can produce so much more now than ever before, that it really is amazing,” the bishop added. “There is no reason why anyone anywhere should starve — we have enough food to feed the world, yet millions starve. We must ask ourselves how we, as Christians, can let this continue.”
The St. Patrick’s parish Worship and Spirituality Committee members Bob and Carol Smith, Dan Hager and Nancy Johnson helped organize the event. Music was provided by Jan and Jay Pattee, Chuck Schott, Haley Vaughn and Taylor Wieland, with John McGee operating the sound board. Numerous other volunteers helped with the setting up and tear down of the tents, with parking, the providing of refreshments and sundry other requirements.
Chuck Offenberger amused those gathered after the mass with his reflections on living a rural life.
The Iowa Boy noted that he and wife Carli had joined St. Patrick’s parish in 2009, but for many years beforehand had attended mass in Jefferson as the couple lives in Cooper.
“The Jefferson Herald will often refer to me as living in ‘rural Cooper’ but I am not sure what that means,” Offenberger quipped as his audience chuckled. “There are only 200 people there on a real busy day so ‘rural Cooper’ must really be out in the country.”
As a steady breeze blew through the tent, Offenberger said that the wind was “one thing those who live in the country can count on.”
“It means who never have to rake your leaves again,” he joked. “Let them be and in a few days they are someone else’s leaves.”
Those assembled visited afterwards, with bottled water, plenty of watermelon slices and bagged popcorn available as refreshments.
Rides on a standing sled pulled by a pair of Belgian draft horses drew the attention of many of the youngsters, while parents and grandparents sought out the shade cooling fruit or water.
Over 150 people attended the mass, several from across the diocese.
“We are happy to have some many come out,” Greg Kautzky said of the crowd. “The weather turned out fine and it has been a great day.”
