On Friday, in advance celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi Saturday, the Saint Mary’s Center for Faith Action and Ministry and Sustainable Farm held their annual Francis Fest.
Senior Mary O'Connell, one of the Sustainable Farm’s student leaders, shared that she felt this year’s event was a success and noted that there were about 150 people in attendance.
Students gathered at the Sustainable Farm from 4:45 to 6 p.m. for a spicy pepper eating contest and other activities organized by student farmers and volunteers, including a photo booth with chickens and pumpkin painting with farm-grown pumpkins. Attendees also got to witness the blessing of the farm.
Explaining the popularity of the chicken photo booth, O’Connell wrote in a statement to The Observer, “The SMC chickens are well-loved by the community, and they are an important part of our mission.” She described the chicken’s role in eliminating food waste from the dining hall, as they compost the waste.
O'Connell said she believes the event helps connect the broader SMC community with the farm.
“Francis Fest is important to the SMC community because it gives us an opportunity to connect the work of the Sustainable Farm with the mission of Saint Mary's College,” she wrote, adding, “It gives us the opportunity to connect with community members that might not otherwise be involved at the farm, as well as to share about the work that we do and the mission behind it.”
Junior Kimi Ortiz echoed O’Connell's sentiment, writing in a statement to The Observer that “Francis Fest is a fun event to build community at SMC while bringing people to the farm.”
In addition to connecting the community, the event honors Francis as the patron saint of animals and ecology. “The Farm is such a unique and special part of Saint Mary’s, especially our chickens and Francis Fest brings attention towards not just the farm and the chickens but the community the CFAM office brings. It’s a time to reflect on the beauty of creation and a blessing towards our chickens since St. Francis is the patron saint of animals,” Ortiz wrote.
Ortiz, who volunteered at the event, appreciated its variety of activities. “There is something for everyone, whether it’s eating spicy peppers, painting pumpkins, having some food, or meeting some chickens.”
Ortiz particularly enjoyed the spicy pepper eating contest, which O'Connell started three years ago. “We were trying to figure out how to deal with an abundant harvest of peppers, and I made a joke in a meeting that we should hold a contest for people to eat all the peppers. While I thought it was just a one-off joke, apparently the rest of the staff took it seriously, and it now has started a tradition that will hopefully continue on even after my time at the Sustainable Farm is over,” O’Connell wrote.
