Winthrop, Minn.—Roman Catholic deaconite candidate and full-time family farmer, Tim Dolan, woke up to some good news earlier this week: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI highlighted the importance of agriculture.

"The Holy Father stressed some very important points," said Dolan who is receiving instruction to become a deacon at Saint Michael's Catholic Church in Gaylord. "His Holiness spoke about the importance of agriculture to human life, to our culture and values, and to the economy and he called for greater respect for agriculture alongside industry and service sectors."

Pope Benedict spoke of the importance of agriculture before thousands of pilgrims in Saint Peter's square on Sunday, November 14, noting that in Italy the second Sunday of November is dedicated to thanking God for the end of the harvest.

Calling agriculture a "vital resource for the future," Pope Benedict added, "Many young people have already chosen this path, and even a number of university graduates have chosen to dedicate themselves to agricultural business feeling that in this way they are responding, not only to a personal and family need, but also to a sign of the times, a concrete awareness of the common good."

"It means a lot to me that the Holy Father would address the importance of agriculture because the world forgets," said Dolan. "While the number of people willing to take on huge risks to feed and clothe the world is dwindling, our government and others are looking for ways to make it even harder on us, putting new burdens on us while stripping away the safety net," Dolan added. "Meanwhile, Pope Benedict has a very different message, encouraging young people to dedicate themselves to farming and the world to restore agriculture to its proper place beside services and industry."

Dolan added, "I don't need to tell you whose side I'm on."