The Memorial Garden at Saint Peter’s
Set among the trees, the Memorial Garden invites prayer, remembrance, and thanksgiving in a quiet place of beauty and peace.
A Sacred Place of Remembrance
The Memorial Garden at Saint Peter’s is a sacred place of remembrance, prayer, and thanksgiving. Set within the quiet pine grove east of the church building, the garden has received the ashes of parishioners and their loved ones since 1975. It is a place where grief and hope, memory and resurrection, earth and eternity meet.
Over many decades, parishioners have cared for this holy ground through gifts, plantings, pathways, benches, memorial markers, and faithful stewardship. The garden continues to be maintained as a place of beauty, dignity, and peace for the Saint Peter’s community.
The History of the Memorial Garden
The story of the Memorial Garden began in the late 1960s, when loblolly pines were planted east of the church building. In June 1975, a proposal came before the Vestry to permit the burial of ashes on church property, recommending “the natural clearing in the woods to the east of the property” as an appropriate setting. By 1979, ashes had been scattered and interred in the pine grove, and the Memorial Garden began to take shape as a place of remembrance for the parish.
In the years that followed, parishioners gave generously to shape and care for the garden. A memorial plaque, Book of Remembrance, and book stand were authorized in 1984. Benches and granite markers were added in 1992, a walkway was constructed in 1996, and the Memorial Circle and paths were completed in 2007.
The Memorial Garden Fund
The Memorial Garden Fund was established by the Vestry in February 2012 to receive directed gifts in memory of parishioners and loved ones. These gifts support the ongoing maintenance, upkeep, and future enhancement of the Memorial Garden, ensuring that this sacred place remains beautiful and cared for in years to come.
Visiting the Memorial Garden
The Memorial Garden is located in the quiet pine grove east of the church building, within the wooded grounds of Saint Peter’s. Benches and walkways invite visitors to enter the garden slowly, sit in prayer, and remember those whose ashes have been laid to rest in this sacred space.
The garden offers a peaceful place for reflection, thanksgiving, and hope. Its paths, benches, plantings, and Memorial Circle have been shaped over time by the care and generosity of parishioners, creating a place of beauty and reverence for the Saint Peter’s community.
Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church is located at 4250 North Glebe Road in Arlington, Virginia. To learn more about visiting the Memorial Garden, memorial gifts, or the ongoing care of the garden, please contact the parish office.