COLUMBIA—Msgr. Richard D. Harris, vicar general, formally dedicated the new prayer garden at St. Joseph Church at a ceremony May 31.
Many parishioners whose loved ones are interred in the columbarium walls, which flank both ends of the garden, attended the event.
The prayer garden was funded by donations from parishioners and completed in 2010. It includes statues of Jesus, Mary and an angel, and its stained glass mosaics of the Stations of the Cross were designed by artist Angel Allen, a parish member.
Roses and other flowers are planted throughout the garden, and a fountain sits at the center. Some of the roses are grown from heirloom plants once cultivated by the late Msgr. Alfred F. Kamler, a former pastor. There are benches for quiet prayer and meditation.
The garden was designed by Mark Schimmoeller, of Southern Vista, a Columbia landscaping company.