A parishioner recently spoke to me about the importance of gardens and green spaces for the mental and spiritual well-being of people. This has become a recognised area of study called biophilia. Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment using direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. Humans that are connected to green spaces are happier and healthier, and I think that’s something we would all like for ourselves and for our community. That’s where the mound of greenery outside our property comes into the story.
As you may have noticed, there has been a mound of branches and other plant material on the pavement outside the church for the past week. We have been busy cleaning up the grounds of the Church, cutting and pruning and shaping, making our environment both safer and more attractive for both school and parish. While it is always sad to cut down trees, one tree in the corner of the property had been struck by lightning in the past and was in danger of splitting and falling on the fence or even worse, children, so the advice we received was to remove it. Another, in the middle of the non-existent lawn, was dead and had to be removed. With all the garden “maintenance” done it is now time to turn an unloved and unusable space into something very different and special.
It is my hope that we can turn the garden into a green space that the parish and school can use for retreats, days of recollection, workshops, and recreation. Now that the garden has been stripped back to its bare bones it is time to sow and plant and build. I am imagining plantings of azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangeas around the perimeter of the garden to create a sense of privacy, and garden rooms nestled in beds of greenery with benches and chairs for people to sit and relax or pray. I am imagining a small, paved area in the centre of the lawn with a table and some chairs for our Sunday gatherings after mass or for people to gather for lunch on recollection days. Our garden could be a place of gathering, a place of prayer, and a place of healing. If this vision is to come true, then we need to do something more than just dream.
Please feel free to walk through the garden after the weekend masses, to breathe in its peace and to get a feel for its potential. If you know of any landscape designers, nursery owners, or have any ideas or resources that could contribute to our own garden of Eden, please let me know.
