“Farm has become a place for mission and vision, a place where anyone who visits can encounter God, nature, and others,“
Starting with priests and seminarians clearing the land and planting to address their food needs during the pandemic in 2020, the SVD Laudato Si Farm of the Societas Verbi Divini, or SVD, has evolved into an eco-tourism destination.
The 5.8 hectares landscape is located in the middle of the Divine Word Seminary (DWS), the Pink Sisters (contemplatives), and the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit along Arnoldus Road off Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City, Cavite Province, Philippines.
“From the farm area where we plant and produce vegetables, mostly organic, to the cafe and restaurant that serve foods and drinks, to the chapel, the retreat house, the hermitage, Sacred Heart Hill, and to the fishpond where kids experience fishing,” said Fr. Samuel “Sam” Naceno-Agcaracar, executive director of the SVD Farm.
“More importantly, the farm has become a place for mission and vision, a place where anyone who visits can encounter God, nature, and others,” said Fr. Sam.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si' or “Care for Our Common Home”, the farm, in its mission statement, commits to “Strengthen the spiritual welfare of guests and employees through its solemn ambiance and liturgical services.”
It also aims “to help uplift the economic condition of surrounding communities through livelihood and training programs and to promote organic farming through optimal and sustainable use of technology, resources and capability building.”
Sacred Space
With all the affirmations from people who are grateful for the experience of peace, lightness, joy, healing, and inspiration, Fr. Sam said the farm “is a product of community discernment and God’s hands," and they are the “cooperators and stewards.”
Fr. Sam, who is also the rector of the SVD-Tagaytay Community, says they also “experience the joy from God’s goodness through those who come, especially during the pandemic, and when many of whom come back healed from depression, thankful for the healing space and prayer company at the farm.”
“The farm is not just a restaurant nor a leisure space but an oasis, a sacred space. We are happy because Pope Francis tells the Church to open its doors and windows and to engage with the people. Meet where people are today, converse, and bring the good news,” he said.
“What’s happening to the farm is exactly our response as a missionary to the call of the Holy Father. Here is a reminder that if our Church will make Christ experienced on a day-to-day basis, His power can really attract people,” said Fr. Sam, who is also the director of the Divine Word Institute of Mission Studies in Tagaytay.
Mission at the Farm
When people ask what is inside the structures around the farm, Fr. Sam answers, “Come and see," referring to their seminary, the pink and blue sisters, which form a family founded by Saint Arnold Janssen.
“The farm in itself is a mission space where people would come and ask questions. It’s from there that we engage in our conversation to explain to them what SVD is, what a mission is, and more importantly, to explain to them about God,” said Fr. Sam.
“Seminarians used to travel and go to different parishes just to preach the good news. But now, for those who are searching for answers to their questions in life, like what the meaning of life is and what to do next, I think our encounters at the farm are ways by which we can help others understand their sufferings and successes,” said Fr. Sam.
Fr. Sam says the farm is inclusive, citing Buddhists and Muslims who regularly buy a variety of vegetables organically grown on the farm and spend some time there.
He is happy about families and schools wanting the youth to be in touch with nature, free from gadgets and toxic feeds from social media.
“If you go back to nature, you will be humanized; you will get connected with the roots. I am also afraid that the millennials who are growing up in this culture of gadgets, who are enclosed in their condominiums, will grow without a sense of nature,” said the priest.
Already registered SVD Laudato Si' Farm Foundation, Inc., the Board of Trustees of the Laudato Si Farm maintains not to charge for entrance and parking fees at this time.
“The Father Provincial of SVD central province, Fr. Jerome Marquez, says, Let others come and enjoy the palace and benefit from the place. He wants the place to be very inclusive; that is why our patroness is the Virgin of the Poor, to also embrace the rich who may be wounded,” said Fr. Sam.
The farm also supports out-of-school youth and provides work to beggars so they don’t just hop from one convent to another and become dependent. The workers are being formed into a cooperative.
