Memorial Garden
A garden is a place of refreshment and peace, a place where we are especially aware of the marvels of God’s creation. A garden invites us to stop and rest a while. The Memorial Garden at St. Bartholomew’s was created to be a place of natural beauty for the respectful burial of the ashes of loved ones. The garden’s natural cycles of seasons, of death and life, recall to us the Christian mystery, that our coming more fully alive in God is comprised of many deaths, many dyings to the old so that new life may break forth. It is also intended that the Memorial Garden serve as a place to celebrate life with joyful services such a baptisms and weddings.
So may this Memorial Garden be for all who come to it a place of refreshment, of renewal, of peace, and a sign of the hope that God is always holding out to us:
“See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5-6)
A garden is a place of refreshment and peace, a place where we are especially aware of the marvels of God’s creation. A garden invites us to stop and rest a while. The Memorial Garden at St. Bartholomew’s was created to be a place of natural beauty for the respectful burial of the ashes of loved ones. The garden’s natural cycles of seasons, of death and life, recall to us the Christian mystery, that our coming more fully alive in God is comprised of many deaths, many dyings to the old so that new life may break forth. It is also intended that the Memorial Garden serve as a place to celebrate life with joyful services such a baptisms and weddings.
So may this Memorial Garden be for all who come to it a place of refreshment, of renewal, of peace, and a sign of the hope that God is always holding out to us:
“See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5-6)
History of the Memorial Garden at St. Bartholomew’s
The Memorial Garden at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church was established in 1996 with a generous bequest from Marian and Victor Haughton. The land west of the church building belongs to neighboring Royall Point Neighborhood Association, which granted an easement to St. Bartholomew’s for the purpose of establishing a garden for the interment of ashes. In June 1996 the Vestry adopted a set of Regulations for the Memorial Garden, and site construction began in the fall. A drainage ditch at the far side of the Garden was dug, the site was professionally landscaped, plantings were established, and granite boulders were brought in from a quarry on Granite Street in North Yarmouth.
Memorial Garden Consecration by Bishop Thomas Brown
We had beautiful weather on May 7, 2023 for the Bishop of Maine Thomas Brown's consecration ceremony of the Garden.
Memorial Garden Consecration by Bishop Thomas Brown
We had beautiful weather on May 7, 2023 for the Bishop of Maine Thomas Brown's consecration ceremony of the Garden.
To date there have been 33 interments of ashes in the garden. Reservations have been received for approximately 16 spaces in the Garden. As the need arises, St. Bartholomew’s is fortunate to have adequate space for expansion of the Garden along the western facing side of the church building.
Memorial Garden Regulations
The Garden is under the oversight of the parish Vestry and the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. Click here for information regarding space reservations, interment, flowers, and engraving.
Procedures
A reservation form for space in the Memorial Garden may be obtained by calling the parish office at (207) 846-9244. It should be returned to the office, together with a nonrefundable fee of $800.
A form for specifying the engraving of the name and date(s) can also be obtained on request from the parish office. Engraving is generally done once a year, in the fall, when the ground is dry and the weather is reliable.
Because some of the rocks are intended to be landscaping accents, only certain rocks are suitable for engraving. Additional rocks will be added to the Memorial Garden as needed.
To schedule a visit to the Memorial Garden, or for general information, contact Pam Waite, Co-Chairperson of Memorial Garden.
To use the Memorial Garden as a site for events other than the interment of ashes, consult with the Rector.
Memorial Garden Regulations
The Garden is under the oversight of the parish Vestry and the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. Click here for information regarding space reservations, interment, flowers, and engraving.
Procedures
A reservation form for space in the Memorial Garden may be obtained by calling the parish office at (207) 846-9244. It should be returned to the office, together with a nonrefundable fee of $800.
A form for specifying the engraving of the name and date(s) can also be obtained on request from the parish office. Engraving is generally done once a year, in the fall, when the ground is dry and the weather is reliable.
Because some of the rocks are intended to be landscaping accents, only certain rocks are suitable for engraving. Additional rocks will be added to the Memorial Garden as needed.
To schedule a visit to the Memorial Garden, or for general information, contact Pam Waite, Co-Chairperson of Memorial Garden.
To use the Memorial Garden as a site for events other than the interment of ashes, consult with the Rector.
From Psalm 62:
1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; from God comes my salvation.
2 God alone is my rock and my salvation
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.
(The St. Helena Breviary)
1 For God alone my soul in silence waits; from God comes my salvation.
2 God alone is my rock and my salvation
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.
(The St. Helena Breviary)
Maintaining the memorial garden
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396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth, Maine, 04096
Church Office Phone: (207) 846-9244 Office email: [email protected] St Bart’s is a parish of the Diocese of Maine, of the Episcopal Church, a province of the Anglican Communion. |
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