Memorial Garden

One of the most sacred spaces at St. James’s is the Memorial Garden.  Sometimes, we casually walk through it, not even thinking about the significance of the space.  Other times, though, we pause, perhaps take a seat, and spend a few minutes in silent reverence.

Our Memorial Garden is now the final resting place for the cremated remains of those who went before us, each in their own way making significant contributions to St. James’s.  The first of the souls now interred in the garden was laid to rest in 1993.  Since then, the total has grown to fifty.

The Memorial Garden is considered consecrated ground, and ashes are buried directly in the earth without any marker.  While the church keeps a record of the exact spot of interment, there are no individual markers, and flowers or other types of additional memorials are not allowed.

There are currently four stones engraved with the names of those interred in the garden.  Each person laid to rest in the garden is also memorialized with an individual page in the Book of Remembrance, which is maintained in the Gibson Hall Atrium, and most of those interred have entries written by the family.

The next time you walk through the Memorial Garden, pause, take a seat, and let the spirit move you.