John Paul II Catholic Worker Farm Seeks Worker-Scholar Intern

Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, envisioned farms where workers could be scholars and scholars could be workers. In the spirit of Peter Maurin, the John Paul II Catholic Worker farm in Kansas City, MO is seeking an intern to help with their urban farm and to contribute to the intellectual and spiritual work of The Maurin Academy.

The Maurin Academy and JPII farm will jointly support an intern, starting as early as March and going at least through Summer of 2025, with the potential for a longer stay. The intern will occupy their own bedroom with a half bath, and share the front half of the house and the kitchen area with another Catholic Worker in the back of the house. The Maurin Academy will provide a stipend of $400 per month in exchange for educational content about the farm and adjacent issues. The JPII Farm will provide all utilities, internet access, and some meals.

The intern will be expected to work at least 20 hours a week on the farm. To combat the food insecurity and lack of healthy, fresh produce in  East Kansas City, the intern will plant and tend two rows in our garden area to grow vegetables which the farm will donate to food pantries in the area. In addition, they will work with others on the farm to maintain the rest of the garden, and have the first pick of produce for their own use. This internship is perfect for someone who wants to learn the techniques of organic gardening and homesteading. 

In exchange for the Maurin Academy’s stipend, at least once a week, the intern will work as an ambassador for the farm and the larger community to provide content about what is happening on the farm. Depending on their abilities, this might take 2-5 hours a week (examples: social media posts, short videos of adorable animals, interviews with other volunteers and guests of the farm, taking pictures, writing blog posts for the JPII and TMA websites, or other such contributions). The intern will can attend any of The Maurin Academy’s classes, lectures and reading groups free of charge.

Interns will be warmly welcomed and participate fully in the life of our farm. They are welcome to our weekly community meal and TMA’s Communio reading group, which meets monthly on the farm. They will work with farm owners Spencer and Emily Hess, who live next door and who both are trained and have extensive experience in horticulture and organic farming. They will also work with Dr Laurie Johnson, professor of political philosophy and president of the Maurin Academy, and Nik Gaffron, a valued long-time community member. 

If you are interested in learning more and potentially being a part of our community, please fill out our inquiry form or email us at jpiicatholicworkerfarm@gmail.com! We will continue to take applications until the position is filled, with a goal of occupancy at least by mid-April.