By Christine Bryant
Staff Writer
After spending the past 25 years caring for land, life and spirit, Shepherd’s Corner will mark the anniversary with a special event for the public.
The farm and ecology center, located at 987 N. Waggoner Road in Blacklick, will host the anniversary celebration from 2-5 p.m. Sept. 16. Guests are invited to visit the animals, walk the meditation trail and labyrinth, and peruse the Shepherd’s Corner-inspired art showcase that will serve as a fundraiser for the organization.
Founded in 1992, Shepherd’s Corner is an ecological ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. The 160-acre natural space, located among new housing developments and along the increasingly busy Waggoner Road, provides a place of peace while providing educational programming.
Strolling through the property, guests will see chemical-free, naturally grown gardens, chickens, a llama, greenhouses, wooded meditation trails and a turf labyrinth.
“Today all of the efforts of the staff are captured in the commitment to care for creation through land, life and spirit,” said Sister Rose Ann Van Buren, who serves as the organization’s director.
This includes care of life through education about diverse species that inhabit the land and through donations of vegetables to local food pantries, and care of spirit through programming while inviting others to walk the meditation trail and labyrinth, she said.
Though the mission of the organization has remained the same over the past 25 years, Shepherd¹s Corner once was located in an old farmhouse on Wengert Road until 2000. It then moved to a double-wide trailer on Wengert before transferring to its current home – a large white barn built in 1903 – on Waggoner Road in 2006. The barn, which once housed cattle and horses, now features solar panels that provide electricity to the building.
Looking ahead, Van Buren says the Dominican Sisters of Peace are committed to the same mission, though they are open to evolving and continuing to care for the land, life and spirit in partnership with other groups and entities.
Prices for the art featured in the anniversary showcase are set by the artists, said Miranda Land, who serves as program manager for the ecology center. Pictures of the artwork are available on the Shepherd¹s Corner website.
For information, call (614) 866-4302 or go to shepherdscorner.org.
