On September 17, 2024, Pierce and Katie Keating held a soft launch event revealing the plans for Camino Farms, a homestead in Barto, PA. If it be God’s will, they will open in January of 2026. Camino Farms will include “Retreats at Camino Farms,” “Camp at Camino Farms,” and “Harvest Hearts at Camino Farms.”
The Keatings named their project “Camino,” the Spanish word for “way” or “path.” The first Christians referred to their community as “the way,” and the Keatings pray that, by opening a retreat center on the lovely rural farmland, “guests will feel welcomed and discover ‘their way’ to belonging, beauty, and the immense love God has for them.” The retreat center will have many amenities to facilitate this experience, including walking trails with stations of the cross, chapels and prayer spaces, and recreational activities like a swimming pool and gymnasium.
Camp at Camino Farms offers children and young adults with special needs the chance to experience belonging, joy, and support in programming tailored to them. As they sought to support their own son with Down Syndrome, the Keatings worked with many organizations and individuals to plan a place of inclusivity and accessibility. The Camp will include a zipline, animal therapy, and an arts and crafts room, among many other exciting activities for people with various physical and mental disabilities. Michele Seel, the Keatings’ first full-time employee and the future Camp Director, joked that “It’s not Disneyland, but it’s pretty close!”
Lastly, Harvest Hearts at Camino Farms will provide environmentally respectful and healthy foods to those who lack such options. Noticing that food pantries often rely on non-perishable food donations to operate, the Keatings and their team decided to utilize the rich farmland of Camino Farms to provide a consistent source of farm-fresh produce and protein. Seel shared that meat from over 100 steer and 4,000 chickens will be donated to food banks thanks to Harvest Hearts.
Sister Maggie Gannon led a prayer and reflection at September’s event, and she connected the project to St. Francis of Assisi, her religious order’s patron. Franciscans celebrate September 17 as the Feast of the Stigmata, and Sister Maggie said that it was a fitting day to soft launch Camino Farms. Like the work, life, and stigmata of St. Francis, “this place is about taking the Gospel message and putting flesh on it,” she declared.
When talking about how she and her husband began Camino Farms, Katie Keating explained that “faith has always been an anchor in our lives,” but joked that “we are not overly holy, we are overly needy!” She had been praying for a place where she might find meaningful conversation, joyful memories, and a greater appreciation of the beauty and treasures of the Catholic Faith. And thanks be to God, He provided.
Steel explained that God has been guiding this project long before the launch date. Several years ago, when she worked at Vanguard School running a camp for children with special needs, an architect approached her and asked what she would want in a camp if she could build it from the ground up. She did not know whether the project would ever come to fruition or who the architect was commissioned by. Years later, when Steel met the Keatings and learned about the project, they showed her the designs for Camp Camino.
“And they were my ideas!” Steel explained. “It was divine intervention.”
Throughout the event, guests raved about the beautiful new barn and the generous spirit of the Keatings. Camino Farms promises to be a huge blessing to the Diocese of Allentown and the many populations who will enjoy its fruits. Tara O’Connor, the graphic designer for the project, commented: “[Camino Farms] is going to have people thinking and change people’s minds about whether a project this generous and this ambitious can exist. It CAN be done. They are doing it!”
If anyone wishes to learn more about Camino Farms or donate to the project, please contact Tess Melchior at [email protected].
