Even before Vatican Council II, efforts were made to reconnect agrarian life in the United States with the liturgical life of the church, meshing the liturgical year with the rural agricultural cycle. The introduction of devotions, sacramentals, ritual, music, dance, poetry, and dramatic performances helped farmers rediscover the sacramental character of the soil and all the elements of agrarian life that emerge from it. Those interested in issues of social justice, sacramental engagement, and even the development of the vernacular in the liturgy will enjoy the exploration of these and other topics in Cultivating Soil and Soul.

Even before Vatican Council II, efforts were made to reconnect agrarian life in the United States with the liturgical life of the church, meshing the liturgical year with the rural agricultural cycle. The introduction of devotions, sacramentals, ritual, music, dance, poetry, and dramatic performances helped farmers rediscover the sacramental character of the soil and all the elements of agrarian life that emerge from it. Those interested in issues of social justice, sacramental engagement, and even the development of the vernacular in the liturgy will enjoy the exploration of these and other topics in Cultivating Soil and Soul.