RURAL LIFE AND THE FAMILY FARM

"So much the more, then, must great care be taken to preserve for the nation the essential elements of what might be called genuine rural culture. We must preserve the qualities of industriousness, simple and honest living, respect for authority, especially for parental authority, love of country, and loyalty to traditions which have proved a source of good throughout the centuries. We must preserve readiness to aid one another within the family circle and amongst families, from home to home. All of these qualities we must have animated with a true religious spirit, for without such a spirit these very virtues tend to degenerate into unbridled greed for profit. May the fear of God and faith in God, a faith which finds daily expression in prayers recited together by the whole family, sustain and guide the life of the workers of the fields." [Pius XII, Address to National Convention of Farm Owner-Operators, 1946].

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Project Milk 

 Support ‘Project Milk’ for theHungry Children of Casa Hogar
Caught on Tape!!! One of the most engaging and inspiring projects in the Diocese! On June 16, 2010 three young men, Jeff Hennes, Dennis Bunk, and Jared Maternoski were visiting Casa Hogar,look what happened while they were there!

See the YouTube Video here:

The following is a true story from the late Fr. Joe Walijewski, a beloved priest of the Diocese of La Crosse who in 1986 founded the orphanage Casa Hogar in Peru, where he ministered until his death on April 11, 2006 (he has been succeeded by his assistant, Fr. Sebastian Kolodziejczyk, another priest of the Diocese).
 
When Fr. Walijewski was first stationed at a parish church in Lima, Peru, he saw a little boy playing in the street.  He had been out there all morning, and now it was early afternoon.  Fr. Joe greeted him and asked, “Shouldn’t you be going home?  It’s past lunch time!”  The little boy told him, “It’s not my day to eat.”  That’s right – it’s not my day to eat!  His family was so poor they fed their children on alternate days.
 
It was because of this level of hunger and malnutrition, and out of a desire to assist Fr. Walijewski in his service to thousands of poor children in Peru, that the Rural Life Committee of the Diocese of La Crosse started “Project Milk” in 1984. Project Milk has a two-fold purpose: to provide milk for the hungry children at the orphanage and the surrounding Peruvian neighborhoods, and to raise awareness of the economic difficulties of our dairy farmers in western Wisconsin (all the dried milk shipped comes from Wisconsin dairy farms). Since its inception in 1984, Project Milk has collected over $800,000 and shipped close to 400 tons of dried milk to Peru, thanks to the generous donations of the people of the Diocese of La Crosse. A shipment was sent in January of 2009, totaled 35,800 pounds, at a value of more than $43,000 dollars. Due to several factors, which include the best timing for milk purchasing and processing, an additional shipment of milk to Casa Hogar arrived in June of 2010.
 
We hope you will find it in your heart to help Project Milk continue to supply nourishing milk to the children of Casa Hogar and the surrounding neighborhoods, so that no child will have to say, “It’s not my day to eat.”  Know that in doing so you will also be supporting Wisconsin’s dairy farmers.
 
We wish to thank everyone who has given so generously to Project Milk! Your contributions are not only an act of charity for the orphans of Casa Hogar in Peru, but also a strong show of solidarity for our dairy farmers!