‘Holy ground’: Mildred Proctor has hung up her gardening hat at New All Saints

After more than two decades as a volunteer caretaker of the grounds at New All Saints in Liberty Heights, Mildred Proctor has hung up her gardening hat.

Up until November, Proctor, 89, could be seen outside picking up trash around the church’s campus, as well as cleaning trash and debris from the gutters and sidewalks on the surrounding streets. She planted flowers, trimmed shrubbery and managed the snow removal and grass-cutting contract for the church, often working three to four days each week.

“Although passersby may not know her by name, they know of her presence and dedication to keeping our grounds,” said parishioner Karen Webb. “The New All Saints Church became known for having one of the best kept grounds in the City of Baltimore.”

Proctor was honored at Mass Feb. 27. She received gifts and certificates of recognition from Mayor Brandon Scott and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“I have never had so much fuss over me in my life,” Proctor said. “The Lord has already blessed me many times over.”

Proctor started volunteering at New All Saints after she retired from the Social Security Administration in 1998. Her husband John, who died in 2013, started soon after. They had been members of the parish since 1980.

“I spent 31 years sitting in a building,” Proctor said. “I wanted to volunteer and do something outside, so I became chair of the ground ministry. I was gone all day, so John decided to join me.”

When they first began, there was quite a bit of trash and overgrown bushes over the fence. With a lot of effort and care, they got it looking like someone cared. Proctor’s favorite garden is in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. She liked to plant bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, which come back each year, along with zinnias and marigolds.

“It makes us feel proud that the grounds were always clean,” Webb said. “People would go out and clean in front of their houses because of her. Mildred is really inspiring. She always referred to the church as ‘holy ground.’”

Proctor is no stranger to hard work outdoors. Her father was a sharecropper, and she grew up on a farm in Southern Maryland. Out of the family’s 15 children, she was “the oldest of the last five” and was used to starting the day at 4 a.m.

Last year, Proctor prayerfully decided that it was time for her service to end.

“It had gotten to the point that it was too dangerous to be out there by myself, I was getting old,” Proctor said. “It’s time for someone else to take up the ministry.”