Catonsville garden dedicated to those persecuted for faith and the armed forces

CATONSVILLE – Looking up at the large, marble statue of the crucified Christ surrounded by Mary Magdalene, the Blessed Mary and St. Thomas Oct. 16, Trinitarian Father Santhosh George was mindful of the important message conveyed by the symbol.

The central piece of St. Mark’s new Crucified Christ Prayer Garden, the statue reflects all the suffering the Lord Jesus had to go through for humanity’s salvation, Father George said. Its place in the garden honors all those who are being persecuted for their faith. A nearby plaque also honors those both living and deceased who served in the armed forces.

“Christians all around the world are suffering because of their belief in Jesus Christ,” the pastor said. “We don’t have that problem in the United States. Even though we can’t be there to help them, we can pray for them.”

The garden is the first in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be dedicated to persecuted Christians and to those who served in the Armed forces past and present, according to Father George, who blessed it Sept. 28.

Over a year in the making, the garden was first proposed after the parish was given the statue by the Trinitarian religious community. The artwork was formerly located in a Trinitarian cemetery at the now-closed Trinitarian Retreat Center in Pikesville.

Nathan Nardi, director of cemetery operations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and his team at New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore helped remove the crucifixion statue from the Trinitarian cemetery several years ago as they also relocated more than 40 graves to New Cathedral Cemetery. At the time, he said, the cross was broken in several pieces as were the arms of Jesus. When the statue was given to St. Mark, Nardi’s team had the Jesus statue repaired, and a new cross made.

“He’s very fragile, a standalone piece,” Nardi said of the Jesus figure, which hangs on the cross by a latch on its back.

Everything – including the three other statues that had been put in storage – was power washed and polished before being set in place at St. Mark.

“It was community building … with prayers, finances and sharing of their time to come together,” Father George said, of the project, which cost roughly $46,000.

Funding came from many “very generous donations” as well as through the sale of bricks, which were inscribed with the donors’ names and now form a cross in the middle of the garden. Benches circling the garden feature the names of donors, too.

“There was nothing here,” Father George said, as he gazed around the garden. “This whole new area can be for prayers.”

This past summer, the garden was used for Wednesday evening prayers and Father George celebrated Mass there for the youth ministries. Cookies and coffee have been offered on occasion in the garden after Saturday morning Masses, too. Many people, Father George said, stop to pray after weddings, funerals and baptisms at the church and he has seen an occasional passerby stop, too.

“This prayer garden is a reminder to all of the significant love of Jesus to those who drive by, walk by or sit on one of the benches and gaze at the Crucified Christ,” Father George said.

Email  Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

Editor’s note: This story was updated Oct. 24 to add information about New Cathedral Cemetery.

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