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A MINISTRY OF

ST. COLUMBA'S INVERNESS

COUNCIL FOR  ECOLOGICAL  DISCIPLESHIP

INVITES YOU TO

RESILIENCE

LIVING AND FARMING
IN A TIME OF CLIMATE CRISIS

A Hands-on  Eco-Retreat
with

ARRON S. WILDER, Owner and Operator of organic Table Top Farm, Point Reyes Station, CA

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DIANA DONLON, Executive Director and Co-founder of Soil Centric: climate solutions grounded in regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration, San Anselmo, CA
 

The Rev. VINCENT PIZZUTO, Ph.D. Vicar St. Columba’s, Inverness and Theology Professor at University of San Francisco, CA

Spring 2025

Retreat Description:

We warmly invite you to join us for St. Columba's transformative 3-day retreat to explore the art of resilience—in our lives and in the land we tend. This unique gathering is an opportunity to reconnect with the earth, deepen our understanding of sustainable living, and cultivate our roles as stewards of both nature and spirit. This Eco-Retreat will get us out on the land at Table Top Farm with founder Arron Wilder, organic and regenerative farmer and soil scientist. 

 

More than just a workshop, this retreat is an invitation to join a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to living in balance with our planet. Whether you are a seasoned farmer, a passionate environmentalist, or simply someone seeking a deeper connection to the earth and spirit, this retreat offers a space for learning, growth, renewal and community.

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Retreat Highlights:

- Hands-On Organic and Dry Farming and Eco-Restoration: Immerse yourself in the practices of organic and dry farming with expert guidance from Arron Wilder at Table Top Farm.

 

- Creating the Conditions for Nature to Heal Herself: Finding wisdom from Nature's Resilience and gaining insights from leading soil scientist and regenerative agriculture specialist Diana Donlon. 

 

- Exploring the Contemplative Call: The Big Book and Little Book: Fr. Vincent Pizzuto invites us to explore our presence as stewards of earth and spirit. Through reflective talks on resources from scripture, monastic and contemplative traditions, we will delve into the sacredness of all life, unveiling ways to live sustainably and in harmony with nature and each other.

Arron S. Wilder,  Guided by Guest presenter Arron S. Wilder, since 2021 founder and operator of Table Top Farm in Point Reyes Station, Marin County, this retreat will include a hands-on field trip. We will examine the farming practices of his small, organically grown vegetable farm plots located on the Point Reyes Mesa and at Black Mountain Ranch. Arron is also Ranch Manager of 1,900 acres on Hicks Mountain, where he employs regenerative grazing and land stewardship practices to restore vitality to its network of natural systems. His educational background includes degrees in soil science, rangeland management, a 12 year career as a soil scientist, and teacher of organic farming at the College of Marin for 7 years. His presentation and field trip will include discussion of carbon sequestration, soil health, organic and dry farming, fire mitigation, adaptation to climate change and our food security. 

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Guest speaker Diana Donlon, Executive Director and Founder of Soil Centric is a long-time soil and climate advocate. She was previously the director of Soil Solutions, a program she founded at the Center for Food Safety. Diana has created widespread awareness of the importance of healthy soil to climate stability at the local, national, and international level. Soil Solutions to Climate Problems, a short film she conceived of and produced, was screened during the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) in December 2015. The film has been widely emulated, and its animated footage has been incorporated into several films including ”Evolution of Organic” and “Kiss the Ground”.  A Bay Area native, Diana has a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California, Berkeley; a Master’s in Education from Harvard University, and two years in Morocco where she served in the Peace Corps. Her specialties include: Soil Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Solutions, Regenerative Agriculture. She experiences the power of regeneration every day working in her orchard.

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The Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. tenured full professor at USF, has been Vicar of St Columba’s Inverness since 2017. He has taken a leadership role through his sermons and liturgical ministry to assist the community in facing the realities of the Climate Crisis, not only as an environmental crisis, but also as a spiritual crisis. By establishing the Council for Ecological Discipleship in 2018, he expanded educational programming online to reach local and distant communities for conversation, reflection and action on climate change. In person Eco-Retreats have featured noted speakers, including Bishop Marc Andrus, Ph.D.; Dr. Sheila Andrus Climate Scientist; Rev. Ambrose Carroll of “Green the Church” and Cosmologist Dr. Brian Thomas Swimme. 

 

Rev. Pizzuto holds a Masters of Education in Religious Education from Boston College (1995), as well as a Masters (STL) and Doctorate (STD) in New Testament exegesis from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (2003). He is a Full Professor at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco where he teaches primarily in the areas of New Testament and Christian Mysticism in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He has published and presented internationally in the areas of New Testament, christology, the Patristic doctrine of deification (theosis), contemplative Christian spirituality, inter-faith dialogue, same-gender marriage and Christian theological responses to the climate crises. In April 2018 he published his second book, Contemplating Christ: The Gospels and the Interior Life (Liturgical Press). 

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