‘God loves everyone and wants everyone to have what they need to have a good life’

As they crouched on the ground in the hot summer sun, Claire Stuhlsatz and Aspen Weintraub turned the soil beneath them with small gardening trowels. They gently pulled apart several carrot seedlings and placed them into the ground, firmly tapping each one into the earth for good measure.

Over the next few months, the tiny seedlings will grow and multiply, contributing a small portion to the 2,000 pounds of produce Mitch Pearson hopes to grow this year at Phi Global Farms in Spanish Lake.

Claire and Aspen joined more than a dozen sixth- through ninth-graders for a visit to the urban farm as part of a Social Justice Camp hosted by St. Francis Xavier (College) Church June 24-28. Pearson founded the 13-acre farm in 2017 as a living classroom and to promote health and wellness and address poverty through knowledge, resources and access to healthy food.

Throughout the week, teens learned about Catholic social teaching and saw firsthand the needs that exist in the community, through onsite visits and hands-on service to others. Other activities included meeting with Afghan refugee children served by Welcome Neighbor STL and HumanKIND STL, a walking tour of the Delmar Divide, and a service day with Isaiah 58 Ministries, which connects services and resources to those in need. Through discussions, games and projects, campers also discussed solutions to the injustices they witnessed.

“We’re giving them a basic foundation (of Catholic social teaching) and that God loves everyone and wants everyone to have what they need to have a good life and to use their gifts for the community,” said Lisa Burks, a St. Francis Xavier parishioner and one of the camp’s directors. “And then we spend a little time learning about how in our world that doesn’t always happen for everyone.”

Campers also learned about some of the barriers that exist and met people in the local community who are working toward breaking down some of those hurdles. “The takeaway ultimately at the end of it … is that they have the power to do that,” Burks said, “and that our faith calls us to do that in our own unique way.”

One of the tenets of Catholic social teaching is rights and responsibilities, which teaches that everyone has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities — to one another, to our families and to the larger society.

Through cultivating fresh produce, which is sold at local farmers markets and given to others in need, Phi Global Farms communicates change through the process of democracy, Pearson said. “You’re exchanging wealth in many forms, in education, health practices, dealing with some of the social ills, education, there’s politics involved, for sure,” he said. “And by sitting down as a community and having this conversation, you move toward a healthier situation.”

Lily Reinert is a recent high school graduate and St. Francis Xavier parishioner who has attended several Social Justice camps and now helps lead younger participants. Middle school is a perfect age to explore the issue of social justice and Catholic social teaching, she said, because it’s a stage in which they’re already asking: Where is my place in the world? And what am I going to do in life?

“One of the cool things about the camp is that we see a lot of examples of people who live out the Catholic social teaching ministry who are not necessarily Catholic, but who are doing it, maybe for the same motivation that we are,” Lily said. “It’s to create a better world. One of my favorite parts of the camp is that we come back afterwards and talk about: What did you see? What you notice?”

Connecting with Afghan youths and hearing their stories was a highlight for campers Elizabeth Jarboe, Sofia Moreno and Eva Talsky, all 11 years old. The group spent the day at Forest Park, had a picnic lunch and played games. Learning more about their journey to the United States was overwhelming at first, Eva said, but then having the chance to hang out together helped her see how much they have in common.

“It was like wow, this is really heavy,” she said. “We don’t have to worry about that type of stuff. But instead of thinking that they’re different because they went through this … I saw they are just kids like us. It was great just hanging out with them.”

The three also learned about economic and racial disparities via a tour along Delmar Boulevard, a street that has become known as a visual example of the racial divide in St. Louis, known as the “Delmar Divide.” The three said they were surprised to see the differences in housing and other resources along both sides of Delmar and why it exists.

“Earlier in camp, we talked about the statement that God loves everyone and everything and I think that really ties into this,” Elizabeth said. “We talked about how God thinks that everyone should have the same resources, and members of the Catholic Church can help to complete God’s wishes — everyone being equal and having the same resources.”