A Catholic Gardener's Spiritual Almanac: Cultivating Your Faith Throughout the Year

by Margaret Rose Realy

Overview

A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac is the first book to offer gardeners spiritual resources and creative projects that connect a love of gardening with their Catholic faith. Margaret Realy, master gardener, retreat leader, and writer, presents this spiritual companion that follows the natural and liturgical seasons and offers gardening tips and easy-to-do projects for each month of the year.

A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac explores the riches of the Catholic spiritual tradition in conjunction with all things gardening. Realy offers meditations and scripture passages on a spiritual theme for each month, reflections on the liturgical seasons and feasts, and delightful stories of saints who have special relevance to gardening. Readers also will discover the connection between the conversion of St. Paul and the canna seed, how the flight into Egypt was saved by a miraculous growth of seed, and the many miracles that made St. Brigid patroness of farmers.

Additionally, there are creative ideas for garden design, practical tips and techniques, suggestions on unique plants, and a table of biblical plants. Gardeners at any level of proficiency and dedication will be enchanted by what they find in this extraordinary book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594714856
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	03/20/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,131,042
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Margaret Rose Realy is a Benedictine oblate who made her final oblate profession on March 15, 2014, at St. Benedict Monastery in Oxford, Michigan. She has a master’s degree in communications from Michigan State University, is a regular contributor to CatholicMom.com, and writes about spirituality and gardening for The Catholic Channel at Patheos. She is also the author of A Garden of Visible Prayer: Creating a Personal Sacred Space One Step at a Time and Cultivating God’s Garden through Lent. Margaret has been featured in Catholic Digest; The Catholic Times; Jackson Citizen Patriot; Lansing State Journal; The Daily Reporter; Your Home, Your Lifestyle; and on the Among Women podcast.

Realy is the owner of Morning Rose Prayer Gardens, a liturgical garden consulting and educational business. She is a certified greenhouse grower, an advanced master gardener, and the coordinator emeritus of the St. Francis Retreat Center Garden Society in DeWitt, Michigan. She has worked as a greenhouse grower and garden consultant, taught workshops at Michigan State University, and is accredited to teach MSU Master Gardener continuing education.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

January: Seeding 6

February: Light 27

March: Pruning 50

April: Preparing the Soil 69

May: Beginning to Flower 91

June: Transformation and New Life 113

July: Storms 135

August: Fruitfulness 155

September: Harvesting 175

October: Preparing for Winter 194

November: Dormancy and Rest 216

December: Discerning What Is of Value 236

Acknowledgments 256

Appendix A Liturgical Colors 258

Appendix B Disposing of Sacramentals and Consecrated Materials 260

Appendix C Daily and Monthly Dedications 261

Appendix D Labyrinths 263

Notes 266

Bibliography 274