Rosary Garden Dedicated at St. Ann School

By Angela E. Pometto                  Arlington Catholic Herald
Herald Staff Writer                   From the issue of 5/12/05


       

 
      DEDICATION   Principal Sally Berra reads from the
       book of Genesis while Fr. William Schardt looks on.

When St. Ann School in Arlington broke ground for a new rosary
garden on March 19, the space behind the school was nothing more
than an empty lot. The sparse clippings of grass were barely green
and the soil was littered with gravel from the recent parking lot
renovation. After six weeks of working with students and families,
the community changed the space into a beautiful, child-friendly
garden that offers ample sources of meditation on the luminous
mysteries of the rosary.

The completed garden was dedicated May 6. Andy Brown, a St. Ann
School parent, led the ceremony.

"This space has been transformed by our families for the sake of
you, our children, so that you may pray here, play here and learn
about the mysteries of our faith and the wonders of Godıs creation,"
he said.

Father William Schardt, pastor, blessed the garden and the children
with holy water. Principal Sally Berra read from the book of Genesis
about how God created the plant life. Brown then led a reflection on
each of the mysteries followed by songs sung by the St. Ann School
choir.

           

           PAINTED STONES  Families that dedicated enough
           time to the rosary garden project were asked to
           decorate a stepping stone that would represent
           one of the beads in the decade. The stones were
           to stay with a religious or nature theme
           accompanied by the family name

"The luminous mysteries lend nicely to a garden," said Sue Williams,
one of the projectıs landscape designers. After the death of Pope
John Paul II, these mysteries are also a special tribute to the
beloved pope, she said.

The families who contributed enough hours were able to decorate
stepping stones that served as beads of the decades. It was
suggested that the beads have a religious or nature theme along with
each family's name. The statue of Mary is equipped with a
solar-powered fountain.

Each of the mysteries is illustrated through the garden's design,
said Brown. The first mystery, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, is
represented by a bridge over a stone pond. The columbine flower
symbolizes the Holy Spirit as a dove.

Brown explained that the rosary garden is based on John Paul II's
luminous mysteries. These mysteries will help the children reflect
on Christ as the "light of the world."


   


   BAPTISMAL BRIDGE  Students from St. Ann School in Arlington
   gather around their new rosary garden for the dedication
   ceremony held last Friday. The bridge and water pond represent
   the first luminous mystery, the baptism in the Jordan
 
The second mystery, the wedding feast at Cana, is represented by two
grape vines to point to the event when Jesus turned water into wine.
The proclamation of the kingdom, the third mystery, is shown through
a bed of mustard plants.

"A reminder that if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed,
then nothing will be impossible for you," Brown said.

The transfiguration is depicted in the garden through a bed of
goldenrod and alyssum that will bloom bright colors. The final
mystery, the institution of the Eucharist, is represented by wheat,
used to make bread, and lunaria, which has thin, round, white seed
pods that resemble the hosts.

Williams and Carol Rickard were both on the design committee for the
garden project. The design team gathered ideas from the Internet,
including sites about gardens honoring Mary, Rickard said.


           

           SOLAR MARY  The statue of Mary is equipped with a
           solar-powered fountain that was not working on the
           cloudy dedication day.

According to Berra, the recent construction of St. Ann Church left
many grassy areas on the school grounds that had once been black
top. The Parents and Teachers Organization decided that the new
areas should be landscaped.

"The garden theme will carry through this year and into next year,"
she said. The rosary garden is just the first step in a larger
project of beautifying more of the space around St. Ann School, said
Rickard.

"It's not just nice to look at, it's also getting the kids
involved," Berra said. Teachers have included gardening lessons into
their curriculum, whether through science, math or art.

The garden was designed for children. Berra hopes that the students
will feel it is a place they can enter.

"It's not something to look at, but something to be a part of," she
said.

           

           ENTRANCE CROSS  The mosaic cross, built by the
           eighth-grade class, will be the entrance to the
           rosary garden. It was not yet placed upright to
           allow time for materials to dry and harden"

As the plants continue to grow, the garden will become a habitat for
birds and butterflies. Science classes researched what species were
attracted to which plants, said Williams.

Families have come together to help as well, whether through
providing snacks, babysitting or digging in the garden. According to
Williams, more than 50 families helped with the garden and each
volunteered anywhere from 10 to 50 hours of work.

Each class contributed something to the garden, said Rickard. From
kindergarten class "planting" worms to break the soil to the
seventh-graders working on the fountain, every class participated.
The eighth-graders offered, as their parting gift to the school, a
mosaic cross that forms the entrance to the garden.

According to Williams, the kids now line up at recess to enter the
garden while parents and parishioners meet on Fridays to walk and
pray the rosary.


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