ZABRISKIE CHAPEL MEMORIAL GARDEN
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The Memorial Garden, located in the western corner of our church property, comprises a circular lawn surrounded by flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials. At its center a silver weeping pear bends over a rustic birdbath.
The peace and beauty of the Memorial Garden make it an ideal place for repose for the ashes of deceased parishioners. It is also an apt setting for outdoor worship study groups, quiet retreats, individual meditation and spiritual reflection. Ashes are poured into foot-deep holes randomly sited in the central lawn; the site bears no commemorative markings. Persons interred are memorialized on a plaque on the nearby Fairchild Room terrace. Interments are recorded in the Parish Registry. The garden endures as a lasting expression of faith, the embodiment of hope, and a song of praise. |
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HISTORY OF THE ZABRISKIE CHAPEL MEMORIAL GARDEN
The creation of a memorial garden for the interment of ashes was begun in 1978, when the vestry approved a proposal by a group of twenty parishioners led by Danie Bradford Barrows. The vestry laid down guidelines for the operation of the garden, notably for its preservation as a living memorial requiring minimum maintenance.
The garden, first used in 1981, has steadily evolved over the years through the labor of volunteers and contributions of plants, stone and teak benches, a copper bird bath, an in-ground watering system as well as gardening tools and equipment. With the rehabilitation of Zabriskie Chapel and the parish house in 1991, the living memorial aspect of the garden was extended to embrace all the new plants and trees in the Zabriskie landscape. The extended beautification was achieved, as was the original garden, through Danie’s design work and parishioners’ gifts of labor and plants.
Gifts made in memory of deceased loved ones or in honor of living persons are respectfully recorded in a formal Book of Remembrance kept in the Fairchild Room.
Please contact the church office for information concerning interment or gift donations to the Zabriskie Memorial Garden Fund.
The garden, first used in 1981, has steadily evolved over the years through the labor of volunteers and contributions of plants, stone and teak benches, a copper bird bath, an in-ground watering system as well as gardening tools and equipment. With the rehabilitation of Zabriskie Chapel and the parish house in 1991, the living memorial aspect of the garden was extended to embrace all the new plants and trees in the Zabriskie landscape. The extended beautification was achieved, as was the original garden, through Danie’s design work and parishioners’ gifts of labor and plants.
Gifts made in memory of deceased loved ones or in honor of living persons are respectfully recorded in a formal Book of Remembrance kept in the Fairchild Room.
Please contact the church office for information concerning interment or gift donations to the Zabriskie Memorial Garden Fund.
INTERMENT AT ZABRISKIE CHAPEL MEMORIAL GARDEN
In accordance with City of Alexandria regulations, the placement of ashes in the garden is a privilege of parishioners of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill. There is no cost for interment.
The family representative of each individual whose ashes are to be placed in the garden is required to sign a release recognizing that the ashes will be unrecoverable and that they are here to be recycled into God’s continuing creation.
Cut flowers may mark the site on the day of interment.
For information concerning interment or gift donations to the Zabriskie Memorial Garden Fund, please contact the church office at (703) 370-6555 and ask for the Rector.
The family representative of each individual whose ashes are to be placed in the garden is required to sign a release recognizing that the ashes will be unrecoverable and that they are here to be recycled into God’s continuing creation.
Cut flowers may mark the site on the day of interment.
For information concerning interment or gift donations to the Zabriskie Memorial Garden Fund, please contact the church office at (703) 370-6555 and ask for the Rector.