Welcome to Our Prayer Garden

At the entrance Our Lord invites you to enter with these words, “I shall lead you into solitude & there I will speak to your heart.” As you walk the path the large diamond shaped pavers speak to you from the bible with familiar scripture quotes from Jesus. These larger pavers also have roses inscribed above the readings as a tribute to Our Lady in the grotto. The garden path is in the shape of a cross, a symbol of our Catholic faith. At the end of the garden is a grotto housing a marble statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Getting her from the church to the grotto was a challenge. It took all of the nine men with heavy duty strapping to get her to the grotto. It was estimated that "she must weigh 1,000 lbs!" Lifting her up to the 30" ledge of the grotto took all of the men. For on-lookers, it was a "hold your breath moment.” She was then centered, her head and shoulders, in the mosaic circle that serves as her halo. The bells were rung to the tune of "Ave Maria." A short prayer of petition is inscribed on the paver in front of the grotto. Beneath that paver a prayer capsule was buried during construction containing prayer requests, photos and special notes submitted by parishioners and visitors when we first introduced the construction of a Prayer Garden. Along the border of the path inscribed in granite pavers you can read the names of families, names of loved ones remembered, special anniversary dates, scripture readings and prayer intentions. We ask visitors to the garden to include the needs of these special people in their prayers. At night the grotto is lit as well as some of the trees and the circular seating areas.

On December 12, 2014 (the Feast of La Virgen de Guadalupe), Fr. Rolando blessed the grotto and garden after the 9 am Mass. There were about 35 people in attendance. As Fr. Rolando pointed out in his homily, "Our Blessed Mother Mary has appeared in many forms and under several names but is still one in the same person sent by her Son." For our garden, she is the Mother of Perpetual Help.

We hope visitors to the Prayer Garden will see it as a visual reminder of their faith and that it provides a serene refuge where they can spend time with God. There’s something peaceful about sitting outdoors enjoying the “silence” of the birds, the view of the mountains, a gentle breeze. While we can pray anytime and anywhere, it’s those times we spend in quiet, away from noise and the distractions of our daily lives that we can speak from our hearts and listen to what God is saying.