Mary Garden

We are proud to have recently dedicated our new "Mary Garden". A Mary Garden is an area, usually enclosed, established for meditation and adorned with a statue Praying Madonna of Mary. The garden is full of symbolism containing exclusively flowers and herbs named after Mary, created and cared for in her honor.

Mary Gardens with flowers named for the mother of Christ date back to medieval times. The early gardens were mostly monastic vegetable and herb gardens, and the name “Mary Garden” has historical origins in medieval religious art, which were probably inspired by small gardens of the period. The first reference to a Mary Garden is a garden built by St. Fiacre, Irish patron saint of gardening, who tended his garden around an oratory in honor of Mary which he built at his famous hospice for the poor and ill in France in the 7th century. Throughout the centuries, flowers began to be associated with Mary, mother of our Lord. For example, the marigold was named for Mary in 1373 and “Our Lady’s Slippers” are mentioned in Germany in 1479. The Mary Garden at Immanuel Lutheran Church is a place of welcome for all who wish to step aside for times of silence, rest, and prayer.

We express our gratitude and deep appreciation to:

Ted and Doreen Geiszler for making the Mary Garden possible,
Rudi Leal for constructing the Mary Garden,
Vern Sundberg for the gift of the Praying Madonna and the arch,
Martha Bailey for the gift of the fountain,
The Dahl's for their special gift,
Martha Bailey and Tina Lehr for planting the plants, and
to the members of Immanuel Lutheran Church who generously donated all of the plants for the Mary Garden.

What a wonderful sight to see the statue of the Praying Madonna surrounded by tangible evidence of God's creative love. We now open our Mary Garden to all as a place of quiet, prayer, and meditation.

Click here to view a photo album of the Mary Garden Dedication on September 8, 2007