The Order of Naucratius had its humble beginnings in Austin, Texas on the front porch during the heat of one particularly hot day in seminary; when two friends (Rod Clark from the Diocese of West Texas and Christian Baron from the Diocese of Western Michigan) dreamed about being more intentional and theological about hunting and fishing. A paper he wrote in their Ethics class, about meat eating, forced Fr. Christian to face some pretty difficult truths about meat consumption in America and in his own culpability. What Fr. Christian discovered maybe wouldn’t be shocking to you, but it was shocking to him. He always knew how far removed he was from the meat that he ate, but until this moment, he hadn’t put together the pieces about what it was costing him and his family and the rest of Creation.
In the end, Fr. Christian decided it would be best if he ate no meat at all, however, meat eating that he had harvested himself or that had been harvested by somebody he was in a relationship with, was also acceptable. We tell you this because that paper was our founder’s initiation into this new ministry and because we don’t want you to think that we are suggesting this ministry as a way to get more meat into the bellies of the faithful.
Over the past few years, a small group of hunters and fishers have donated thousands of pounds of fish and game to local food pantries and feeding ministries throughout the U.S. In so doing, those of us involved have been blessed to think about the harvest in a new way. We have been able to offer our gifts and talents and precious protein to God by donating it to folks who have a difficult time coming across salmon or trout or fresh game.
Now, as you know, Western Michigan is a fantastic place. We have the best lake shores and most beautiful forests in the world. This means that we have some of the best fishing and hunting around. With all of these waters and woods, we have 1.1 million licensed fishers and 800,000 licensed hunters in Michigan. While there is undoubtedly a lot of overlap between the two, that’s about 2 million people, in our state alone, that participate in these sacred activities.
2 million.
“The Church” has often tried to help offer meaning to the lives of the people. We encourage and hope that individuals will be attentive to the movements of God in their lives and in all of Creation. Hunters and Fishers often have a theological framework by which they live and participate in the harvesting of God’s bounty. The Episcopal Church can add to and help make the theology of many of these folks richer and deeper.
ONWM takes its name from a little-known saint, Naucratius. (You can read the biography from wikipedia here). In the tradition of our faith, we strive to order our time and resources in ways that honor the life and ministry of this man of the woods and waters. We are working on developing liturgies, prayers, and blessings that point these outdoor enthusiasts to the work of God, the creator of the earth, skies, seas and all that is in them!
So that’s it. That’s how it started and that’s what we are about. If you want to learn more, please read on, like our Facebook page, or reach out through our contact us page.
Christian Baron+
Naucratites are up to lots of good work in other parts of the world, click the links below: