On a sun-drenched Saturday evening, the hilltop overlooking Mankato at the Loyola Good Counsel campus became a sanctuary of community, reflection, and celebration. About 70 local residents gathered on June 20, blankets and picnic baskets in hand, to mark the summer solstice—the longest day of the year—and to celebrate a major milestone: three decades of the Living Earth Center (LEC).
Under the shadow of the campus’s historic big red barn, couples, families, and lifelong friends stretched out across the grass. The atmosphere was deliberately laid-back, inviting attendees to slow down and embrace the welcoming call of the summer season. Children played croquet and tossed Frisbees, while nearby, the organization’s sprawling community gardens burst with vibrant dahlias, gargantuan sunflowers, and lush plots of fresh vegetables.
“We just wanted to bring people together for an evening to celebrate the longest day of the year,” said Laura Marsala, who has served as the director of the Living Earth Center for 10 years. “It’s about a community coming together to eat, drink, listen to music, and enjoy the land.”
The Living Earth Center is a non-profit dedicated to cultivating healthy communities by growing food and fostering human connection. While the solstice event itself has been a local tradition for at least 20 years, the roots of the organization stretch back three decades.
The story began in the early 1990s during a devastating farming crisis. Parishes were struggling, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame were leaving ministries in small rural towns. Seeing the profound need of local family farms, Sister Kathleen Storm and Sister Mary Tacheny set out to see how they could help.
From 1994 to 1996, the two pioneering sisters did the legwork—literally driving a bright pink station wagon to almost every small town in two southern Minnesota counties to sit down and talk with farmers.
These kitchen-table conversations led to the founding of the Center of Earth Spirituality and Rural Ministry in 1996, which would eventually become the Living Earth Center. They established their first community gardens on the hill right behind the big red barn. Sister Kathleen, who attended Saturday’s solstice celebration alongside long-time board member Denise Johnson, spoke to the gathered crowd, reflecting on those humble beginnings.
Over the years, those first garden plots—originally tended by a diverse group of Russian, Syrian, and Hmong immigrants—expanded into a thriving network. Today, the Living Earth Center manages multiple sites, including the Blue Earth County Community Farm near Mount Kato, and operates with a small, dedicated staff of six members. However, their reach is massive: the community gardens rely on more than 120 volunteers, and their popular “Seed to Sauce” youth program engages over 1,000 local children, who plant tomatoes, onions, and herbs in the spring to harvest for a massive community pasta night in the autumn.
Saturday’s event featured a rich lineup of local partnerships. Singer-songwriter Kara Karels set a contemplative tone for the evening, performing a relaxing acoustic set focused on mindfulness, emotional journeys, and seasonal transitions.
Later in the evening, LEC employees Maisie Johnson and Amy Hunt led the crowd in a seasonal reflection. They shared the traditional Polynesian legend of the demigod Maui, who slowed the sun’s path across the sky to grant humanity longer, warmer days to work and grow food. The reflection concluded with a sun prayer, with attendees turning their faces toward the horizon to bathe in the final, warm rays of the solstice sun.
The evening concluded with a community yoga and meditation session led by Carly from Sun Moon Yoga. With the golden hour light washing over the hill, locals stretched and grounded themselves on their mats—including one eager infant who drew chuckles from nearby participants for trying to join in on the poses.
While the evening was filled with joy, it also marked a poignant moment of transition for the Living Earth Center. The land where the Loyola community gardens currently sit was recently acquired for a Southwest Minnesota housing project. While Marsala noted the loss of the land is painful for the organization and the sisters, she emphasized that it is also a blessing, as it will provide much-needed affordable housing for the Mankato area.
Looking forward, the Living Earth Center is actively fundraising to purchase a small farm of their own to relocate and expand their operations. They have plenty of time to orchestrate the move, and community support is already rallying; the organization recently wrapped up its “Give to Grow” fundraising campaign, successfully raising $15,000 to help secure their future.
“We are going to do everything we can to keep this legacy going strong,” Marsala said. “We want to carry the future forward.”
