Prairie Liturgies

Bethlehem Barn at Shalom Hill Farm

In 2023, Shalom Hill Farm commissioned original poems and liturgies to honor the spiritual geography of prairie. Composer Carol Meier and I were hired to collaborate for the sake of several pieces that could be used at Shalom Hill Farm and made available for purchase wherever folks wish to honor the prairie in worship.

These liturgical resources are independently published (or in the process of becoming published) by my colleague and friend Carol Meier. You can learn more and purchase the resources at Carol’s website.

Thanks for your patience as the self-publishing process takes time. Know that we are working to make them available, accessible and affordable for you and your worship community as soon as possible!

Peace of the Prairie: A Liturgy for Here and Now

The signature liturgy inspired by Shalom Hill Farm provides place-specific imagery to help center participants in the present moment and in connection with the spiritual geography of prairie. We imagine this liturgy used to gather people into rest, renewal and retreat by acknowledging the rhythms and rituals they set aside to be more fully present in community with God and one another. (Approx. 30 minutes.)

Shalom Daily Prayers (Morning, Midday and Evening)

These prayers follow the liturgical structure of the Liturgy of the Hours including Opening, Psalmody, Word and Prayers. Morning Prayer features a new Canticle of Hannah and Evening Prayer a new setting of the Magnificat. The ancient Phos Hilaron text, paraphrased here at “Light of All Splendor” is set to the familiar tune SLANE. (Morning Prayer Approx. 20 minutes. Midday Prayer Approx. 10 minutes. Evening Prayer Approx. 30 minutes.)

Feast of Shalom: A Setting of Holy Communion

While inspired by the historic Latin texts, this setting offers a fresh expression of the invitation to feast together as the body of Christ. The Kyrie includes imagery familiar to all three Abrahamic faiths and much of the spoken liturgy incorporates sensations rooted in prairie living. (Approx. 20 minutes.)

The Way of the Manger: An Advent Liturgy

This simple liturgy is inspired by the Bethlehem Barn at Shalom Hill Farm, where retreat goers worship alongside sheep and chickens. The resource is brief (because it’s chilly out there!) and includes a candle lighting litany and a format that embodies Mary’s trimesters. Each trimester includes a movement of scripture, prayer and song - both original music and new texts set to familiar carol tunes. (Approx. 20 minutes.)

Prayer Trail Poems

I wrote four sets of poetry for Shalom Hill Farm, which are posted as meditation moments along the walking trails. As their titles indicate, they are based on different experiences of time and space on the prairie. You can find most of them here on my website under Poems: Seven Sensations of the Prairie, For the Seasons, For the Hours, and Stations of the Creed. They are free to use with this written credit: Written by Meta Herrick Carlson. Commissioned by Shalom Hill Farm as part of the Prairie Spirituality Project, 2023. Used with Permission.