Chat & PhotosMonastery Mary Garden Planned
Mar 11, 2002, Julianne G. Jackson, Mobile, AL I have the most splendid of news. Petals of Grace is launching plans for an outdoor Mary Garden to be at the monastery where some of our container gardens are displayed. We will be doing this right next to the gift shop where retreatants and regular shoppers pass by. WE ARE SO EXCITED. I have just done a soil sample and our next task is to prayerfully decide what statue we will use. Please pray for us as we embark on this venture----we have had many interested in either donating their time or money for this project so I realize the great importance of harnessing these volunteers so that the garden can be maintained. Have a great day. And remember spiritual payday is on the 15th----my Dominican priest friend who now lives in Washington continues to do a monthly Mass for the intentions of all those involved in the Mary Garden ministry. Peace, Love, and Joy, Mar 12, 2002, John Stokes, Mary's Gardens Many thanks for the great news about the monastery garden. I certainly will keep you and all involved in the Morning Offering of my daily prayers - said each day while resting for a few minutes in a nearby park on the way to doing my errands. Saying the "Mary Garden Prayer" midst the park flowers, yet surrounded by city buildings, I add to it the words (in italics): Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, As our hearts are raised to you in love and thanksgiving through the light, grace, wisdom, and growth of these pure, blest, transfigured Flowers of Our Lady) . . . and through the crafted artifacts of the earthly city - co-creations further discovering, showing forth and revealing your infinite wisdom, through Mary, Seat of Wisdom, Garden Enclosed, House of Gold, Tower of Ivory, City of God, we commune with you in awe and rapture, (etc.) There is a special opportunity here, which I hope will engage your interest. One our Mary's Gardens Associates is beginning to write a book regarding the human side of Mary Gardening - with the collaboration of a writer-editor and a professional photographer. I immediately had in mind the human interest side of Petals of Grace, but the story of the design and planting a monastery Mary Garden - what different people say in learning about the flowers and seeing their symbolism, in pitching in and helping, etc. - would be of great interest and inspiration to others, as another story. I have in mind the sorts of things discused with Henry & Elenore Simpatico re. the starting of the Mary Garden at St. John The Baptist Parish Church in North Bennington, Vermont per the Chat entries posted as of Feb 20, 2001. Progress messages from you from time to time as the monastery Mary Garden project develops, and suggestions I might make, plus photographs, might provide interesting material for the book. In any case, I look forward eagerly to hearing how the project devlops. As a matter of timing, I would hope there would be sufficient funds to put in mature plants this year so the photos would show a mature planting in time for the book - if it were to be submitted to the publisher next year. Photos could be of the undeveloped site, the planting, the dedication and blessing, and events in the Garden, as well as of the Garden itself and its plants. Don't feel any pressure on this. Just a suggestion and an opportunity if it would fit in. Mar 14, 2002, Julianne G. Jackson The book plans sound very exciting and I know it will prove to be a source of inspiration for many. As far as a story about the development of the monastery garden ----- that is hard to say. As I am sure you can understand, I truly want to do this prayerfully and in God's time. I have no idea, having never done anything like this before, how long this process will take. I believe in order to be successful there needs to be education regarding what this is all about. I am already beginning to see how this becomes a true labor of love. And so I will be happy to send progress reports. In my prayers I have truly placed this undertaking into the Hands of the Blessed Mother and so we will see if it becomes suitable or ready for inclusion in the book. . . . God bless you and yours this day. Peace, Mar 15, 2002, John Stokes Re. the monastery garden, a quick review, "off the top", of some steps, which you can use as a checklist: 1. Request or approval of the monastery abbot, superior or other authority for the Mary Garden and its place or location on the grounds - keeping in mind that many plants, especially annuals, require sun: about 5 hours of sunlight in the growing season. 2. Accepting or recruiting volunteers who will help with the digging, soil preparation, planting and garden care - watering, weeding, edging (keeping the edges of the garden beds looking neat), pinching off spent blooms or wilted leaves, cutting grass, raking leaves, removing and replacing plants when necessary, etc. In medieval monasteries this was taken care of by the "gardening monk", or by the "sacristan gardener" who grow flowers for the altar; but today there is often a paid grounds keeper who cuts the grass, rakes the leaves and takes care of the border shrubs; and the actual garden is taken care of by volunteers or "third order" members of the broader monastic community. The important thing is that there be a clear responsibility for such things as watering - especially in hot summer months or drought. Sometimes a paid janitor is the back-up for this if the volunteers don't show up, or go away for the summer, or there is a general lack of volunteers at some future time. 3. A definite understanding of how the original and replacement plants are to be paid for, and where they are to be obtained - locally or by mail order. Ideally some of the volunteers will grow back-up plants for the garden in home nursery beds, to provide them reliably and to reduce plant purchase expense. 4. The composing of the garden bed and planting plan, and a listing of the plants and plant quantities required. The participation or assistance of an experienced gardener, or a plant nurseryman, is most helpful here - who knows how plants do in the area, and what soil preparation is needed for local soil. If such an experienced person is not available, information can be obtained from gardening books (which is what we did originally, not then being experienced gardeners, although we were very soon providentially blessed with the cooperation of an experienced professional gardener, Martha Ludes Garra, deeply devoted to Mary. Note in the Chat section the various practical suggestions about border plantings, bloom sequence, etc. made to Henry & Elenore Simpatico, for the St. John The Baptist Parish Mary Garden in North Bennington, Vermont - Feb 20, 2001 entry 5. In the course of all this the basic devotional motivation for the garden, and the history behind it, will of course shared with those with whom you are working. In our articles etc. we have set forth the ways in which the various aspects of Marian devotion are expressed and quickened by the flowers and their care. Some of these which may have seemed remote to daily life are better appreciated and meaningfully turned to in today's world. 6. And continuously, prayers to Our Lady and her Divine Son for the spiritual fruitfulness of the garden for those working in it and visiting it, and for those worked and prayed for. "All for you my Jesus, through Mary, for the love of Creation, Redemption, Sanctification and Kingdom, for all eternity." Some basic articles to be referred to are link-listed under GARDENING on the web site home page, such as: Mary Garden Digging, Planting and Tending Mary Garden Design and Plant Selection Guide for 80 Flower Data Base List of 100 Popular Flowers for Mary Gardens Parish Mary Garden Care Establishing and Maintaining a Parish Mary Garden Green Enchantment - "The St. Mary's Garden at Melrose Abbey, Scotland" This will save having to go through all the listings to find what you need in getting started. It isn't that you will be telling others what to do, but rather that these are the needs inherent in the project, to which it is well to give consideration at the outset. The "story" will be the particular experience of all in going through this process in this instance. Mar 15, 2002, Julianne G. Jackson Thanks for the great email----this will certainly come in handy. We have done #1, have begun telling people in order to recruit volunteers (and the response is great), I have sent off a soil sample to be analyzed to see what must be done to ammend the soil, and we have one of the most creative, respected landscape designers (who just recently came into the church) who has volunteered to consult with us on this project. I am a bit surprised in your checklist that you did not mention the choosing of the statue. This to me seems to be such an important task and one that needs good discernment. My Petals of Grace partner, Teresa and I have planned a trip to begin to see what is available. Any suggestions? Thank you so much for listing the articles that will be useful. That will save a great deal of looking through the website and will be useful as we meet with the landscaper. There is a big flower show in Mobile next week and he is in charge so he has asked that we wait until he has finished with this. Thanks again........I will put a star next to your last item on the checklist. Prayer is so important!!! If you have any other ideas please pass them on. God Bless, Mar 16, 2002, John Stokes I am pleased that you find my informal listing of the various practical essentials that go into getting a parish, monastic, shrine or other institutional Mary Garden started will come in handy in your guidance of the planting of the new monastery Mary Garden. You speak of the absence of any mention by me of finding a suitable focal Marian sculpture for the garden. I guess I considered as I wrote that this didn't need any special mention for you from me, but here is what I recently wrote regarding statuary: "It's significant that persons moved to start a parish or other public Mary Garden have typically wanted to have a special statue. "Thus Mrs. Lillie at Woods Hole, Fr. Tom Stanley at Portage, and Nan Sears at Annapolis, all had specially designed and executed statues. We, ourselves, were blest by Ade Bethune's offer to me at an annual meeting of The Catholic Art Association in 1957 to execute the sculpture of Mary, Seat of Wisdom (which we had reproduced in ceramic stoneware and sold over 100 copies, back in the 50's and 60's when we sold things - seeds, plants, sculpture, books, etc. - to help get things going). See 1958 article, In Search of a Mary Garden Statue. Regrettably the technology by which this statue (and a following one of "St. Joseph, Garden Workman") was produced (by a lamp base manufacturer in Trenton, NJ) has become obsolete, and we've been unsuccessful so far in attempting to find someone to reproduce and sell it for us again in some more contemporary material such as of the lovely statue of "Our Lady of the Dove" executed by sculptress Candace Knapp in molded fiberglass, with a special paint that makes it resemble concrete, for the Mary Garden at her St. Stephens parish in Brandon, Florida Her email address is. aok@andoknap.com but a one-off statue like this would be very expensive. However, you might contact her "just in case". See the website about the St. Stephens Mary Garden at www.ststephencatholic.org/garden.htm with illustrations of the statue and garden. Also check the website links, at the top of the home page, to a parish May Crowning ceremony, and to an associated webpage with more statue photos - and music. A commercial statuary source recommended to us, but which we haven't checked out is: www.statue.com/html/Rel.htm Their statues appear to be made of a concrete-like material With statues of concrete or similar material it is important not to have folds which retain rain water which may freeze, cracking the surface. Fiberglass has the advantage that it is less likely to crack with winter freezing and thawing. One source of an Immaculate Heart fiberglass statues is www.cathshop.com If you succeed in locating one or more sources which are more suitable, let us know, so we can be more helpful to others. Mar 19, 2002, Julianne G. Jackson Thank you for the information about the statues. I never thought about the possibility of concrete cracking within the folds of a statue....it rarely freezes here in Mobile-----since it can become quite warm does concrete do anything in high temperatures and high humidity? I will keep you informed and hopefully send pictures of the undeveloped garden spot as soon as we are able to meet with the landscaper. I would love any continued suggestions you may have. Happy St. Joseph's feast day. God Bless,