Call them “integral families”, if you like. They differ greatly in age, background and personal history, yet they are united by the belief that ecology is not merely an environmental or political issue. Rather, it begins around the family table, in time shared together, in the way we inhabit the world and look at others. It is within this network of concrete experiences—often counter-cultural and far removed from the spotlight—that the “integral ecology” promoted by the Church’s teaching takes shape, and which has recently been reflected in a new Vatican document dedicated specifically to family life.
The Gospel in the Vegetable Garden, the Front Door Always Open
“When we call our four children in for dinner, getting them into the house is a challenge. Apart from the winter months, they would happily stay outdoors all the time. Being outside appeals to them more than a smartphone.”
Oscar Mason, a 60-year-old religious education teacher, lives with his wife Giovanna Barutto, a 48-year-old former pharmacist, in Anguillara Veneta, a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Province and Diocese of Padua, along the Via Romea Germanica.In this rural oasis they have spent the last decade running the educational farm and rural campsite “Pane e bellezza” (“Bread and Beauty”). “The countryside offers not only food, but also that beauty which comes from deep within and is meant to be shared with family and friends. We need it as much as bread—sometimes even more. We were also inspired by the Book of Proverbs, which in chapter 12, verse 11 says: ‘Those who work their land will have abundant food.’”
He explains when describing the origins of the name. “We were married on 31 December 2006 and, a few months later, decided to come and live here, where my father-in-law Luciano had a farm in the 1980s and traded the grain he produced.” In the meantime, Giacomo (18), Francesca (16), Bianca (14) and Andrea (7) were born. The two eldest attend the agricultural college in Rovigo, fifteen kilometres away, while the younger children attend the local school.
“Welcoming other people developed naturally over time. First relatives and friends came to visit, then the children began inviting their classmates and people appreciated the place. We are not interested in large numbers; out of a desire for simplicity, we prefer relationships, emotional investment and wellbeing,” Oscar explains.
Together with Giovanna, he has planted untreated trees—many of them fruit trees—creating what they call their “breathing woodland”. They have also planted fifty vines that double as a pergola, cultivated a vegetable garden, flowers, medicinal and aromatic herbs, and make jam from wild blackberries.
The children grow up surrounded by two cows whose milk is used to make cheese at home, donkeys—featured in countless family photographs—rabbits and geese, bees housed in twenty hives producing honey, and two alpacas which, “teach the value of friendship and mutual support. If an alpaca is left alone, it gives up and dies.”
Their eldest son, Giacomo, completed a cheesemaking course and, together with his siblings, also learned how to repair bicycles. “All four children are used to entertaining themselves with very little: a maze made from hay bales, a treasure hunt organised for the youngest, a wooden nature-themed noughts-and-crosses game, and many other activities that we offer to visiting children.” Oscar has also prepared around thirty educational worksheets “for his children, students at school, and anyone who visits” on the theme “Jesus Close to the Earth”.
“We move through wide open spaces that stretch time and allow us to discover wisdom and values conveyed even through old tools. A yoke, for example, must be carried by two people; the traditional grain measure, crafted with painstaking precision, conveys a sense of justice.” And he concludes: “We are aware that we are swimming against the tide.”
Those 16 Litres of Water That Make a Difference
It is the same awareness that links the Mason family with the Montesi family in Corinaldo, in the Province of Ancona. The couple and their three now-adult children live in the countryside, just 200 metres from the organic farm “Verde Naturale”, renowned for its spectacular lavender field and managed by Sara Simonetti, 57, who has been married to Mauro, 59, since 31 October 1993. Members of the national board of Azione per Famiglie Nuove—“a third-sector organisation and the practical arm of ‘Famiglie Nuove’, which emerged from the Focolare Movement, of which we are members, and which is involved in development projects, international adoptions and child sponsorship programmes”—the couple also serve as co-directors of family ministry for the Diocese of Senigallia. “I had a salaried job, but in 1995, when our first child, Daniele—now a 30-year-old teacher—was born, I left it by mutual agreement with my husband. Then our two daughters arrived: Maria Chiara, now 27 and working as a social worker, and Elisa, 26, who graduated in Oriental Languages and is involved in the social inclusion of migrants.
At the moment she is undertaking an internship in Germany and, before leaving, put a sign above a leaking tap at home reading ‘16 litres a day’, as a reminder for us to repair it and reduce waste,” Sara explains. “We have solar panels, we try to use organic food, limit our meat consumption, reduce the use of detergents and recycle everything we can.” On their farm, which produces aromatic, medicinal, essential-oil, perfumery and vegetable plants, and which is run “according to the ethical principles of the Economy of Communion and the ideal of unity handed on by Chiara Lubich”, they also manufacture environmentally friendly organic soaps, while ensuring complete transparency in invoicing and in the payment of workers.
“My husband helps me at weekends. If we need to burn pruning waste, we do so when it is dry rather than green, so that it produces less smoke and disperses more quickly. We also keep phytosanitary treatments to a minimum because I believe nature is capable of maintaining its own balance. We are planning to purchase an electric commercial vehicle with an almost negligible environmental impact. When you embrace integral ecology, the benefits extend far beyond the financial dimension,” Sara says emphatically. She highlights a crucial aspect, even before all the sustainable practices that can be adopted in everyday life: “We live ecology through our relationships, even with relatives who may treat us badly. It is not easy, but we are called to love everyone, always. We support one another as husband and wife and as a family. Our children live the ideal of unity in their own different ways, but they have embraced its values.”
Maria Chiara, for example, “would like to launch a fully social farming initiative. Together with other young people from the parish and Operazione Mato Grosso, she is creating traditional wooden games in order to raise funds for people in need and help younger generations rediscover practical manual skills. Those who visit the lavender field will also be able to play while looking one another in the eye, away from screens and digital devices, in a natural environment.”
Clothes Don’t Matter (But Sometimes They Do)
Creative recycling is also a defining feature of the lifestyle embraced by the young couple Miriam Resta-Corrado, 32, and Vincenzo De Rasis, 27. Both are Laudato Si’ Animators, having completed a training course before their wedding, which took place two years ago. “On 24 May, the anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical, which was published in 2015,” notes Miriam, who holds a degree in Environmental Sciences and wrote her dissertation on the document itself. Living in Supersano, in the Province of Lecce, they both work in insecure jobs but maintain that it is still possible to make sustainable choices: second-hand clothing purchased online or from the local market—including Miriam’s wedding dress—tap water exclusively, and solid soaps which,“cost a little more, but last much longer than liquid ones,” Miriam explains. She first became interested in climate change when, at the age of eighteen, she began accompanying her father to work in the countryside. “I brought together two different influences: on the one hand, a missionary awareness shaped by hearing testimonies from people returning from Brazil, who spoke about the protests of workers exploited on intensive palm-oil plantations; and on the other, my growing involvement with Greenpeace.” For Vincenzo, “who grew up with consumer-driven habits, from online shopping to fast food, the journey began during our six-year courtship. I learned how to separate waste properly and how to recognise the symbols on products indicating where each material should be disposed of for recycling. We try to buy refurbished household appliances, such as our vacuum cleaner, for ethical reasons as well as to save money.”
Miriam adds:“We eat meat only once a week, choose loose pulses rather than heavily packaged products, and use biodegradable detergents. We also try to limit products that travel long distances before reaching us, such as exotic fruit, while paying close attention to certifications that guarantee sustainability and respect for workers’ rights.” For both of them, sustainability is not merely an environmental choice. It is a practical way of living out the values they believe in, demonstrating that even in situations of economic uncertainty it is possible to adopt lifestyles that are simpler, more responsible and more respectful of both people and Creation.
(Source: Courtesy of Avvenire, 31 June 2026 – by Laura Badaracchi – © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
