What is Bethlehem Farm?

Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community in Appalachia that strives to transform lives through serving the local community and teaching sustainability. They host high school and college groups from around the country and enable volunteers to join them in living out the Gospel cornerstones of prayer, community, simplicity and service.

Our Lady of Grace has taken more than 300 volunteers to Bethlehem Farm in the past 15 years, and it's become a special place for many parishioners.

When is Our Lady of Grace's Bethlehem Farm trip? 

We will be leaving from OLG after 7:30am Mass on Sunday, June 26, 2022, and returning to the church at approximately 6:00pm on Saturday, July 2, 2022.  Adults will drive vehicles of participants’ families or rental vans that will serve as transportation to/from West Virginia and back and forth from service sites once we arrive.

What can I expect during a week at Bethlehem Farm? 

When you join us for a week at Bethlehem Farm you can expect to work hard.  You can expect to wake up early and go to bed exhausted every night.  You can expect to be challenged and supported physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  You can expect to have a voice that others will listen to and respect.  You can expect to pray in both traditional and creative ways.  You can expect to meet nature face to face, to become friends with donkeys and pigs.  You can expect to prepare meals from scratch and spend time in the garden.  You can expect to feel uncomfortable at times and at home with complete strangers. You can expect to see God, your friends, and the world in which you live from an entirely new perspective.  You can expect a miracle.
The group will be living in a cozy farmhouse facility that can accommodate up to 34 volunteers per service week. On a typical week, you will find groups from nationwide schools, churches, and families.

Where is Bethlehem Farm? 

Bethlehem Farm is in Summers County, West Virginia.  It is situated on a mountain between Alderson and Hinton, WV.  This south-central county of West Virginia was once a prominent coal mining area that now suffers from economic poverty.

How are we handling Covid-19 precautions?

We successfully took this trip last year during the pandemic, and we feel confident that we can safely do so again this year. Bethlehem Farm requires that all participants be vaccinated against Covid prior to this trip. We would be willing to work with any family who would like to participate but has medical conditions that might interfere with that request.

How do I sign up?

This year, Our Lady of Grace will be taking one trip to the Farm. This trip is open to high school students or recent graduates. To register, please see this year's packet of information and turn it in by May 1, 2022.

For more information on Bethlehem Farm and OLG's service trip there, please contact lifeteen@ologn.org.
 

Bethlehem Farm 2022 Packet