Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross

Valatie, New York

The Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross owned 450 acres of land in Valatie, New York, when Brother David Andrews arrived in 1976 to create a Retreat and Conference Center. Brother David developed a local board of directors including people from the Diocese of Albany. Contacts within the New York State Assembly Committee on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy, especially Mabel Gil, encouraged the Brothers to develop programs on "alternative agriculture".

 

Brother David explored alternatives to make use of the land's natural resources, greenhouse and recently built barns, including a community garden and community cannery (big on apple butter), and brought in leaders from organizations such as World Hunger Year and Second Harvest. Jim Cashen, a Catholic Conference staff person for the diocese of Albany, encouraged using the land for the community's well being.

 

The Provincial Administration was skeptical and hesitant because of concerns about insurance and expenses. Brother David continued to educate them and discuss options until he moved on in the 1980s, retaining a role as encourager and consultant, when needed.

 

In the early 90s, Jim Cashen brought in the Columbia Land Conservancy. A land study identified the land's excellent natural resources and encouraged placing it in trust with a purchase of development rights (a conservation easement). A new provincial administration (Brother George Schmitz, Provincial and Brother William Zaydak, Assistant Provincial) met with the conservancy and with the local religious community at Valatie, by now also a retirement center. This new administration sought to use some of the funds from the purchase of development rights as an incentive to contiguous farmers to join in conserving their land.

At Valatie, the Holy Cross Brothers have successfully integrated the land ethic with their own charism. Years of accumulating knowledge of, and respect for, the use of the land, and the providential involvement of conservation-minded people led to the desired outcome.

  

• In 2003, New York State approved the purchase of development rights on all but the 80 acres immediately surrounding the buildings.
• With Holy Cross' support, adjacent farmers agreed to join the program, significantly increasing the amount of land kept in agriculture in the area, a common good for the broader community.
• Currently, William Jordan, former Holy Cross Associate in Chile, now neighbor to Valatie working for the Commissioner of Agriculture of New York state, is proposing to develop the community garden (CSA) at Valatie. The CSA will hire a farmer in October of 2004 and include the Holy Cross community in some supportive way.

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