Are you becoming a slave to next-day shipping and cell phone screens? Have you ever wanted to learn how to slaughter a pig or make sourdough? Have you ever walked the trails and byways of your hometown—or even the full extent of your own property?
The Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture hosted a lively discussion of what it truly means to live local with four contributors to the recently-released Localism: Coming Home to Catholic Social Teaching (Sophia Institute Press, 2024). This panel featured William Fahey (Thomas More College), Max Becher (First Steps Farm), Michael Dominic Taylor (Thomas More College), and Jason Craig (St. Joseph’s Farm).
Attendees walked away with a renewed appreciation for their local communities, fresh ideas both philosophical and practical, and the inspiration to implement true Catholic Social Teaching in their lives, homes, and communities.
William Fahey is the third president of Thomas More College. On the natural level, he attributes his successes to the excellent counsel of family and friends, and to the guiding principle that a Catholic liberal arts education is truly an excellent foundation for all human action. His scholarly interests extend from the Classical World through the Fathers of the Church to the importance of Agrarian thought and traditional craftsmanship on past and contemporary culture. Dr. Fahey is a Benedictine Oblate with the Monastery of Our Lady of the Annunciation, and he enjoys the natural beauties of the region through gardening, hunting, hiking, and sailing.
Max Becher is a homesteader and writer living in Central Maine. He holds a Masters in Theology from the International Theological Institute, writing his thesis on principles of agriculture in Catholic Social Teaching. Mr. Becher ran a small farm in California from 2014–2018 before moving to Maine in pursuit of a more rural homesteading life with his wife and three children. He has served on the board of directors of Catholic Rural Life in St. Paul MN, and authored articles on rural life for their publications.
Michael Dominic Taylor grew up in rural Connecticut, where he was an active outdoorsman. He spent his summers sailing and lobster fishing on the coast of Maine. He is the author of The Foundations of Nature: Metaphysics of Gift for an Integral Ecological Ethic (Cascade, 2020), which, in 2021, was a recipient of the Expanded Reason Award given by the Joseph Ratzinger Foundation (the Vatican) and the Francisco de Vitoria University (Madrid). Dr. Taylor writes on bioethics, environmental ethics, transhumanism, solidarity, economics, and integral ecology. He also loves sailing, hiking, camping, farmers’ markets, and good conversation.
Jason Craig, married and father of 8, writes and works from a small dairy operation in Western NC. He is a first generation, part-time farmer with extensive experience with pigs, cows, and gardening. With degrees in horticulture and theology, Mr. Craig brings together a coherent philosophical foundation for living on the land and the need to consider the cultural shift required to make the move.
