Throughout the year, more than 70 families, called “cottagers,” visit the 80-hectare hobby farm founded in 1980 by Oblate Father Fred Magee and stay in one of the fully furnished cottages for a weekend or week-long holiday away from the stresses of city life.
A close look reveals that Waupoos is more than just a summer getaway for families. It fosters an environment of respect and community all year round.
“We always felt safe. Everybody watches out for everyone here,” says Lori Sabourin, who began coming to Waupoos as a child with her mother and siblings and along with her husband is now a regular volunteer. “It was something we looked forward to every year.”
As a child, she couldn’t wait to leave the city boundaries for the quiet country farm and its abundance of green space. Mostly, she looked forward to playing basketball with the other children or going for a dip in the pool.
At Waupoos Farm, parents don’t have to worry about their children running out onto busy streets, finding needles in the grass or being abducted by strangers. The farm offers a smorgasbord of activities for families to amuse themselves: volleyball, wagon rides, bicycles, crafts, organized games, swimming in the lifeguardsupervised pool, campfires or a barbecue and more — all under the watchful eye of three missionary families who live on and run the farm full-time, as well as helpful volunteers.
For Collette Gallagher, also a former camper who now volunteers, bringing her two girls to the camp means a genuine break, as the other campers, the host families and the resident families watch out for one another. And her daughter Helena, a child with special needs, loves the farm too.
“You know you don’t have to be two feet from them all the time,” says Gallagher. “Lots of times people have come here with special needs kids because there’s nowhere else that they can go for a day and have an extra pair of eyes on their child. There’s a ministry of presence here.”
The farm, complete every summer with chickens, turkeys, rabbits, sheep, pigs, a pony and many friendly barn cats, operates on property owned by the Oblates on Rideau Road. It was founded by Magee who worked with Ottawa’s inner city poor. The development of Waupoos Farm was heavily supported by the Cursillo Movement.
Today, although run by the Waupoos Foundation and overseen by the laity, a Catholic authenticity still exists.
“All the goings on here are made to be consistent with the Catholic catechism,” says Lee-Ann Garcia, who with her husband Matias and four young children are one of the missionary families who live on the farm full-time. They live with fellow residents Sabrina and Steve Bethune and Chris and Zdena Harder and their children in the old farm house on the property, a short distance from the cottages.
As permanent residents, they wear many hats and ensure the farm runs smoothly for visitors.
The husbands work regular daytime jobs and help out with the farm chores during evenings and weekends, whereas some of the women home-school their children and look after administrative work and other day-to-day responsibilities — including liaising with the local school boards or Children’s Aid Societies to identify families that might benefit from the Waupoos experience.
Volunteers can also participate as host families, living at the farm for up to a week to plan and run optional family activities for the cottagers. Cottagers are encouraged to embrace the farm motto of “Pray, Work and Play” by attending morning chapel reflections and feeding the animals during their stay.
“I’ve been hosting for four years,” says Julie Parker. “What we do best is provide vacation and respite for families, but that is a vehicle for providing a sense of connection and commitment to families that might not otherwise have it for a variety of reasons. So what I try to provide when I host are lots of activities they can do together, so by the end nine families are like one.”
But, she adds, activities are not mandatory. If a family prefers to stay by the pool or read a book in the shade, they have the freedom to do so.
On Saturdays, if a priest from the archdiocese is available, Mass is offered at 4:30 p.m. in the chapel.
Parker believes the faith element is what makes Waupoos Farm so special. Every morning begins with optional chapel time.
“Everyone has a different spiritual journey, but coming here and starting the day with chapel has been instrumental in developing my own personal spirituality, because starting off the day with chapel is life-giving.”
Volunteers say that Waupoos is not a spiritual formation centre, but a place simply where the corporal works of mercy are being exercised on a daily basis.
“People need to just come and see for themselves at an open house,” says Larry Harrison, a navy veteran who feels compelled to offer whatever help he can — from renovating the cottages with fellow Knights of Columbus to shuttling cottagers from their homes to the farm.
“I’ll come by, and if they say they need something, I’ll do what they ask. As long as I can get it, I’ll get it for them.”
Harrison has been volunteering his time and efforts for five years. But there is always much work to be done.
“We have to count on the community and their help,” he says.
And luckily, a few local businesses and churches — Catholic and Protestant — pitched in this year by each adopting a cottage and “bringing it up to par,” refurnishing, repairing decks, fixing plumbing — whatever was needed.
Rita Hughes, a member of the board of directors, emphasizes that “Waupoos is the heart of Christ in action — an opportunity to give without anyone knowing you’re giving. It’s a way of quiet service.”
For information on Waupoos Farm, visit www.waupoos.com.
(Savoie is a freelance writer in Ottawa.)