“In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brothers and sisters and we commit their bodies to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
– BCP, Burial II, p. 502
As the congregation journeys through Lent toward the beauty and joy of the Resurrection and new life, the Nativity Memorial Garden will also undergo a time of transition, transformation, and rejuvenation.
The Memorial Garden is our community’s place for the reflection and remembrance of our loved ones who have have gone before us. This place of final repose is in need of major renovation and a long term plan for care and maintenance with accessible and safe paths, and additional spaces for committal of ashes. The Memorial Garden Rejuvenation group has and is working to meet the needs of today while planning for the future.
The Building and Grounds Ministry Team and the “Weekly Weeder” volunteers have maintained the Memorial Garden, however, the scope of the work that to be done is far beyond the abilities of these volunteers who generously give of their time. To that end, Lesley Troan, with input from the Buildings and Grounds Team, began meeting with interested members of the congregation in the summer of 2018. With Lesley, a core group of congregants have enlisted the services of arborists and a senior horticulture student from NC State University to increase the ambience, light, safety, and ease of maintenance of the Memorial.
The plan for the Memorial Garden focuses on our needs to conserve water, use native plantings (where feasible), maintaining the current woodland feel and limiting volunteer maintenance hours to 2 to 4 hours per month. The Vestry has approved the direction of the Memorial Garden Rejuvenation plan and the group will continue work under Buildings and Grounds. The Troan Foundation has provided a very generous grant in support of this project. The work is scheduled to begin this month.
The plan includes:
- Temporary relocation of the memorial stones and monuments
- Removal of five trees and removal, relocating, trimming, and pruning of branches and shrubs to improve light, air flow, and safety
- Add soil to stop sinking in areas of committal
- Add soil amendments to encourage growth and health of new and existing plant material
- Add plant material to meet the needs of low maintenance, water conservation, beauty, and include native plants when feasible
- Add universally accessible seating and second path
- Repair and restore Mrs. Hale’s Nativity angel
“We give you heartfelt thanks for the good examples of all your servants, who, having finished their course in faith, now find rest and refreshment.”
– BCP, Burial II, p.503