Parish gardens connect nature to its Creator

A place of prayer. A location to meet others. A spot where you can meditate alone. A scene of natural beauty. Those phrases all describe parish gardens.

Parishes throughout the Albany Diocese have developed flower or vegetable gardens, where parishioners and visitors can spend quiet time contemplating the wonders of nature.

Parishioners work for years on the gardens; each one is painstakingly thought out, its design and content planned and executed with care.

Prayer scene

At St. Bridget's Church in Copake Falls, "we've been developing our Universal Prayer Garden for years," said Steve Gubler, pastoral associate for administration and liturgy. "It isn't quite finished yet, but we're getting very close."

The garden was designed by a local resident, but the idea for it sprang from the location of the church.

Said Mr. Gubler, "Our garden is complimentary to the beautiful pastoral surroundings. We are situated at the base of Mount Washburn, near the Bash Bish Falls Gap. This location seemed perfect for a quiet garden where one can come to meditate or pray."

Growing faith

The garden, he continued, has "elevated flower beds, stone walls, bushes and hawthorne, oak and mountain laurel trees. There are also lovely monumental stones. One was a gift from the local Schaghticoke Indian tribe."

The garden meanders into the woods from behind the church and cemetery, leading to the base of the mountain.

This year, a labyrinth was added to the garden, completing the initial stage of the planning process.

Seeds of garden

Mr. Gubler, who also serves the parish as the minister of music, said that "since its inception, this has been a homespun project, with ideas and suggestions coming from parishioners. We've added things as we've gone along.

"It's a serene place of reflection, meditation, solace or simply peace -- whatever a person is looking for."

He called the garden "a place that can be enjoyed alone or in good company. It's a sacred grove, a real sanctuary."

Greetings

Seven years ago, as the new church at Christ the King parish in Westmere was being built, Rev. Patrick Butler, then pastor, and Tina Pietrosanto, a retired florist, imagined a garden that would greet visitors.

"Their vision wasn't just that of a garden, but rather a place where people could come to meditate or contemplate, pray or just enjoy the beauty of nature," said Margaret Tarpinian, the garden's coordinator.

One of the original volunteers to maintain the plot, she now oversees volunteer teams that keep the garden in shape.

Growing project

The spot began with a small garden funded by monetary and plant donations -- "one plant and one bush at a time," in Mrs. Tarpinian's phrase.

Seven years later, the flower garden extends from the parking lot and sidewalk to the church building. It then meanders to the base of a hill behind the church. Halfway up the hill, a cross is positioned like a sentry.

Two water fountains flow in the main garden area; they are flanked by benches and seats for meditation and prayer. Nearby, the smaller Mary's Garden grows vegetables, which are tended by another group of volunteers. At harvest time, the vegetables are donated to the local food pantry.

"Our parishioners donate money or flowers in memory of their loved ones," said Mrs. Tarpinian. "I've watched people as they walk through or sit in our gardens. The flowers put smiles on people's faces. It's really an uplifting place."

ON TOUR

Woman calls her 'religious garden' a place that 'goes on forever'

St. Henry's parish in Averill Park hosts an annual garden tour, and one parishioner who opens her extensive garden to visitors is Jean Chenette.

"I like to call my garden a 'religious garden' because the theme is spiritual," she explained. "It's a large garden [with] many little themes. It seems to go on forever. You might say there's something for everyone."

Her garden includes two statues of the Blessed Mother and one of St. Anthony of Padua as well as smaller statues that designate areas for meditation.

"I have a little reading fairy, a little boy with a baseball cap, a child holding a basket and another child holding a butterfly," she said. "These encourage thoughts and prayers of nature, generosity, joy and creation."

Each May, Mrs. Chenette and her husband invite the First Communion classes from St. Henry's to visit for a crowning of the statue of Our Lady.

"We thought it might make a nice memory for the children," she noted. "We try to make this event in their lives as memorable as possible for them. We take pictures of each child in front of the statue and give them the pictures to take home."

The couple also invites members of the parish bereavement group to visit for meditation and prayer. (PP)

(6/21/07)