Bishop leads harvest blessing at Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women

The community of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women in Passaic welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney to celebrate the beginning of its garden season with a harvest blessing on May 4. The bishop led prayers and songs and then blessed the garden beds with holy water. The center is a ministry of the Diocese of Paterson.

The event was attended by participants from the center, religious sisters, and volunteers. For almost a decade, the center has offered women a garden bed to grow fresh produce for their families. Those who receive a garden are responsible for taking care of it with the help of a mentor from the Northeast Earth Coalition, a Montclair-based ecological non-profit organization. The garden is also made possible through a grant from City Green, a non-profit farming and gardening organization in Clifton.

Located at St. Stephen Magyar Parish, the community garden is one of many programs offered to women at the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women. Its other offerings include English as a Second Language, crocheting, quilting, and other crafts. The center also has a diaper bank and provides resources for other basic needs. This September, the center will celebrate 10 years.

After the blessing, the women, most of whom are immigrants from countries in Central and South America, hosted a luncheon with foods from their country for those who joined the harvest blessing.