The Ave Maria Farm
Unplug from the Machine. Tune in to God's Reality
The Ave Maria Farm is a homesteading community in rural Texas building a life centered around sacramental worship, classical values, beauty, leisure, and a healthy relationship with nature and dirt. You will find here the main farmhouse, three tiny homes, a pole barn, community garden, and a small herd of cattle, sheep, chickens, and Bonity, the family donkey. We built the tiny homes to provide a place for young adults who want to spend time experiencing Orthodox community and learning basic farming skills. We are also a 15-minute drive from Midwestern State University, and our parish, St. Benedict Orthodox Church, which offers daily Mass, rosary services, catechism, spiritual life classes, and a classical co-operative school for homeschooling families. Get involved! We would love to hear from you!
Rationale and Vision
Life is out of balance. The moral and cultural foundations of society are crumbling, but what are the underlying reasons? Where did we go wrong from the start, and how can we get back to balance? How can we reclaim, here and now, in twenty-first century America, an authentic Christian culture, a living environment that will allow an individual, a family, and a parish to thrive? Here at the Ave Maria Farm, we are stepping out of the norm, reexamining, discussing, and building sacred culture.
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Meet the Family
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Fr. Peter Kavanaugh grew up in a log home in rural Virginia where he acquired early on a love for nature. After studying philosophy, religion, and psychology in college, he spent a year learning to pray and farm at a monastery on Mt. Olympus, Greece. He went on to work as a farmhand in Virginia and later to complete his M.A. in Divinity at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Today, he is the priest at St. Benedict Orthodox Church and headmaster at St. Benedict Classical School in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Fr. Peter and his wife, Matushka Dr. Zoe Kavanaugh, are excited to homeschool their four children, Kevin, Eva, Ella Rose, and Fiona. Their education philosophy is heavily influenced by Charlotte Mason, John Senior, and C. S. Lewis, all steeped in the liturgical life of the Orthodox western rite. Through hours of sharing delicious literature, tilling dirt, gathering eggs, and kneeling before the altar, they are grateful to share this Life in Christ with family and parish community.
Reach out and get involved!
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Come By and Visit!
Christ is in our midst! We are excited to share about what’s happening in our local Orthodox community! The Ave Maria Farm is an Orthodox Christian homesteading community in rural Texas. God has given us a beautiful world. We want to step back from the pace and spirit of the times, and return to a more wholesome lifestyle, by carving out a place where people can pray, grow in character, pursue old-fashioned values, learn to work with animals and earth, and enjoy good food and Christian fellowship.
Our family’ s 40-acre farm consists of two pieces of property within a short driving distance of one another. The Ave Maria Farm proper, is a 5-acre property located in Iowa Park, 5 minutes from the rest of our land in Wichita Falls, and 15 minutes from St. Benedict Orthodox Church, Midwestern State University, or Vernon College in Wichita Falls. The Ave Maria Farm is where young adults come to live, visit, or intern. It is also the location of our annual spring and fall retreats, where we meet for daily liturgy, vespers, gardening, and campfires. At the Ave Maria Farm, you will find four rustic cabins, a pole barn, our food forest, and a herd of sheep, pigs, and poultry. If you walk deeper into the woods, you will discover our small, beloved chapel, dedicated to Our Lady, the Multiplier of Wheat. This year, while continuing to develop our permaculture food forest and sheep pastures, we are building an herb garden to delight our new honeybees, joining us this March.
The larger property is about 35 acres, and is a little closer to town (5 minute drive from the parish). This is where our family home, St. Anne’s Manor, is located, and the Clonfert House (dedicated to St. Brendan). Three young men from our parish rent a room at the Clonfert House and host weekly young adult fellowship. On this land, we board horses, tend to our dairy cattle, raise meat chickens, and try to keep up with a random assortment of poultry and goats. In the back, you’ll find St. Mullin’s Market, a small building where we host our own small farmer’s market to sell not only our own animal products, but also other local goods from the greater Wichita Falls Community. We also use this space for our community butchering days. There is plenty going on! From participating in our active classical co-op to almost any farm diversion that catches your fancy, we enjoy a variety of fun disciplines. Some people visit for days to months, while others live in the area, have outside jobs, and participate in the farm life as they are interested/able.
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We love sharing our farm life with others and learning new ideas about building Christian culture and community. It’s not uncommon for someone to come by for a short visit, to spend a summer, or move to the community long term. Visitors are usually put up in the Clonfert House or one of our community cabins. So long as you’re willing to gift your time and talents, we’re happy to gift you room and board for short term stays.
