St. Bartholomew’s cultivating a garden and meaningful connections in its community

From empty box to Three Sisters Garden: A story of being a church in the community

The box was empty.  More than 300 visitors had come into the church to look around during Doors Open Ottawa (DOO), but by the end of the afternoon not a single can of beans had landed in the box by the door.  There was nothing to give to the local food bank. While disappointing, this should perhaps not have been unexpected. When it is 22 degrees Celsius at 10 a.m. and you plan to visit the French Embassy, Rideau Hall and other nearby buildings on foot, who wants to carry around a can of beans or two, let alone a bag of flour or 2 kilos of sugar to drop off at St. Bartholomew’s Church? This was in 2023. That year, DOO had determined “Food” to be the event’s theme; participating buildings had been encouraged to incorporate this into their planning, if possible, with DOO offering to promote this in their media materials in return.

Little did we realize at that time that this initial disappointment would evolve into an established partnership with the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre (RRCRC) over the next few years.  Soon after the Doors Open weekend in early June 2023, St. Bartholomew’s reached out to the RRCRC to determine how we might be able to support the needs of the Community Food Bank in our city ward. Located in the former Rideau High School on St. Laurent Boulevard, the centre provides many and varied services for those most in need in Ward 13 (www.crcrr.org).  From monthly and special food drives initially, two tote boxes are now permanently left out at the church for drop-off of non-perishable items any day of the week.  And it is rare that they are empty!

The relationship with the RRCRC has grown and expanded in different ways.  Once a year, the church now helps the centre provide back-to-school backpacks for high school students. It is a mad dash along the aisles in early August as volunteers fill their shopping carts with school supplies and then stuff the backpacks in the parish hall. The packs are blessed a few days later in the main Sunday liturgy before being distributed to the youth by the RRCRC in mid-August.  Some staff members from the centre always join us for the filling of the back packs and bring their van to take them away following the blessing.

Another exciting development happened earlier this summer.  While helping with meal preparation for the Community Fridge at the RRCRC one afternoon, I was shown the centre’s 40 recently-installed cedar raised planters and was offered two for the church.  Being able to accept them required a quick check with the rector and wardens after our 10.30 service two days later.  Within the week, volunteers from the RRCRC had not only brought over the locally milled cedar but also assembled the two 8’ x 4’ planters on the front lawn of the church for us.  This generous gift had coincided with a recently expressed desire at the church to plant a Three Sisters Garden.  This companion planting method originates from Indigenous agricultural traditions, where corn, beans and squash are grown together in a symbiotic relationship.  The crops support each other, enrich the soil, deter weeds and provide shade for the roots of the other plants. At St. Bartholomew’s, one raised bed has now become a Three Sisters Garden, serving as a reminder to the community that we live on the ancestral territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin, who have acted as stewards and guardians of this land. The other raised bed is being used to grow vegetables that will go to the RRCRC Community Food Bank — assuming we can stay ahead of the squirrels. The planters were blessed by the Rev. Canon Catherine Ascah on June 21, National Indigenous Day of Prayer.

We cannot help but be reminded of the parable of the mustard seed as we look back over the past three years.  We trust that God will continue to guide, develop and strengthen the partnership between St. Bartholomew’s Church and the RRCRC in the years ahead so that together we may support those in greatest need in our community.

St. Bartholomew’s Church has planted a Three Sisters Garden, which follows Indigenous practices, an acknowledgement that the land is the unceded territory of the Anishnaabe Algonquin people. Photo: Judy Wiesinger

The Rev. Canon Catherine Ascah and parishioners gathered to bless the garden on June 21 . Photo: Judy Wiesinger

Judy Wiesinger is a parishioner at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Ottawa.