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A ministry for clams?  

This is not a joke.  The ministry is about clams, but it is for the environment.  As Franciscans, we are concerned about the wellbeing of our common home, Mother Earth and her waters.   It is a small thing, but one that we hope will bear fruit in a healthier Barnegat Bay.

 The Secular Franciscans initiated the clam project here as part of ReClam the Bay, an organization whose purpose is to restore clams to the Bay’s ecosystem in order to help clean up the water and also bring back a self-sustaining clam population for recreational clamming and eventually commercial clamming. 

For an hour every Monday morning from late spring to late fall, volunteers clean and measure our clams.  In June thousands of spat (baby clams) are brought to our upweller where they grow in circulating bay water until they are ready for planting in the fall.  The upweller is a shallow tub with fresh water constantly pumped in from the bay.  The clams are in baskets called silos.  Our upweller is on the south side of the Community Center between the outdoor pool and the bay.  Walk along the side of the building and you will see it. 

Surprisingly, our little clams produce a good deal of clam poop and algae also grows in the upweller.  Volunteers give an hour on a three-week rotation to clean up the clams’ temporary home.  So, if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty and the rest of you a little wet, you are qualified for the “ministry of clams”.   Volunteers are also invited to take the Ocean County Co-Operative Extension course on Aquaculture.