Serenity Pines Garden
Where Our Lady's Flowers Inspire Prayer and Reflection
Vincenzina Krymow October 2002 Marian Library Mary Page
(adaptation*)
A statue of Our Lady stands at the entrance of the Serenity Pines
Garden, located on the hillside below Marycrest and Gosiger halls on
the University of Dayton campus.
FORGET-ME-NOTS - THE EYES OF MARY
Here the forget-me-nots bloom in early spring, circling a large
rock that bears the meditation:
"To look at you reminds us of the paradise he came to
restore. Mary, help us to keep our eyes fixed on him
as you did."
Forget-me-nots were called "The Eyes of Mary" in medieval times,
and a legend told of their naming by Jesus.
CORAL BELLS - OUR LADY'S BELLS
Summer nears and soon clematis, known as "Virgin's Bower", blossoms
and the Madonna Lily blooms. Tiny white coral bells appear; all
bell-like plants are called "Our Lady's Bells". Most of the plants
found in this terraced garden are associated by name or legend with
Mary, Mother of God.
IN CELEBRATION
The garden was dedicated in October 2001 to the memory of campus
administrator Joe Belle and others who died while they were students,
faculty or staff members at UD. Belle, who died in July 2000 after
a 14-month battle with brain cancer, had envisioned a garden that
would offer a contemplative place for students. He called it Mother
Mary's Sanctuary and had preliminary plans drawn that included a
pine grove setting for uplifting the spirit, a water feature for
reflection, intimate areas for private thoughts and a Mother Mary
sculpture for inspiration. A plaque bears these words:
In Celebration
This garden was the vision of Joe
Belle, whose caring and dedicated
service to students we celebrate in
its serenity. Rest here in peace
and harmny.
Joseph A. Belle
B.S. '73, M.S. '75
Served UD 1973-2000
GARDEN HONORS MARY
Belle's vision is reflected in the present garden, and the
Mary-named flowers were chosen as a way to honor Mary and help people
discover the spiritual as they spent time in the garden. The garden
was named Serenity Pines to make it inviting to people of all faiths,
according to Belle's widow, Barbara. She chose the quotes inscribed
on the stones, finding key words or phrases from the book, "Mary's
Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations," that tell the story of
the flowers and their association with Mary and scripture.
Walking through the garden, one finds, in addition to the
forget-me-nots, clusters of five other Mary-named plants. A smooth
boulder bearing a relevant quotation identifies and complements each
group of plants.
LADIES MANTLE - OUR LADY'S MANTLE
Ladies Mantle (Alchemilla speciosa) is called "Our Lady's Mantle"
because the leaves and blossoms drape over the ground like a mantle.
CLEMATIS - VIRGIN'S BOWER
Clematis (Clematis vitalba) is a blooming vine often grown as
cover for a garden seat, and thus called "Virgin's Bower"
This verse from Hosea 14:7 is inscribed on a nearby stone:
"They shall live again beneath my shadow, they shall
flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon."
JERUSALEM COWSLIP - VIRGIN MARY'S TEARS
Jerusalem Cowslip (Pulmonaria officinalis) is called "Virgin
Mary's Tears". It is said that the spotted cowslip was at Mary's feet
as she stopped to nurse her son Jesus - dropping milkdrops on its
leaves - while on the way to the temple to present him to God. The
blossoms turned blue as they reflected her eyes but the buds grew
pink as her eyes reddened from weeping at the thought of Jesus'
future suffering. This verse from 2 Kings 20:5 is incised on a rock
to the right of the fountain:
"I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears;
indeed I will heal you."
MADONNA LILY - ANNUNCIATION LILY
The Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum) is known as the "Annunciation
Lily" because the angel Gabriel is said to have held a lily in his
hand in recognition of Mary's purity when he appeared to her to tell
her that she had "found favor with God" and would conceive and bear a
son and give him the name Jesus. It is said that after Mary touched
the flower, which had been scentless, an exquisite fragrance arose
from it. This verse from the Song of Songs 2:2 appears on a rock near
the lilies in the garden:
"As a lily among brambles, So is my love among maidens."
YELLOW BEDSTRAW - OUR LADY'S BEDSTRAW
Yellow Bedstraw (Galium verum) is also called "Our Lady's
Bedstraw". It is said that the white blossoms of bedstraw turned to
gold with the radiance of Jesus at the hour in which he was born. A
large rock near the plants bears these words:
"In medieval times bedstraw, thyme and other herbs were
used as a "strewing herb" because of their pleasant scent
and medicinal properties."
CHRISTMAS ROSE - HOLY NIGHT ROSE
Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) is called the "Holy Night Rose"
and a legend tells of Madelon, a young shepherd girl who had no gift
for Jesus the night he was born. God heard her crying and sent the
angel Gabriel to help her. He touched the frozen earth with his staff
and creamy white blossoms flushed with pink sprang up everywhere.
Madelon filled her arms with the flowers and ran to decorate Jesus'
bed and the stable where Mary had borne him. These lines from the
meditation on the Christmas Rose are found on a rock in the garden:
"Sometimes my heart is as cold and hard as the winter
ground. Mary, warm me, and offer my heart to your Child."
FERNS AND OTHER PLANTS RECALL MARY'S LIFE
Ferns are called "Our Lady's Hair" because the fronds look like
flowing marceled tresses. Ferns grow in several areas of the garden.
Also in the garden are dogwood trees, representing the Cross; a
variety of viburnum known as "Our Lady's Pincushion"; holly bushes,
called "Christmas Holly"; alchemilla or Lady's Mantle, known as "Our
Lady's Mantle", and Bethlehem Sage, a spotted lungwort called "Our
Lady's Milk" because the spots are said to represent drops of milk
which fell from Our Lady's breast when she was feeding the infant
Jesus.
GARDEN INVITES REFLECTION
A place for the UD community to meditate, contemplate, pray and
read, the garden is surrounded by pine trees, known as the "Hand of
Christ". Winding paths and wooden benches invite the visitor to
rest and reflect.
A millstone with a small water fountain bubbling from its center
anchors the verdant six-level garden. Inscribed around the
millstone's circumference are these words from Blessed William Joseph
Chaminade:
"I am like a brook that makes no effort to overcome
obstacles in its way. All the obstacles can do is hold
me up for a while, as a brook is held up; but during that
time it grows broader and deeper, and after a while it
overflows the obstruction and flows along again. That is
how I am going to do my work."
* Original: http://www.udayton.edu/mary/raj/serenitygarden.html