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When my husband, Roger, died unexpectedly several years ago, I needed to decide where he would be buried. As a retired Navy Reserve Officer and Annapolis graduate he could be buried in a national cemetery. But … would that be too far away and how often could we visit his grave? Would that have been his wish? I didn’t really know. My thoughts, instead, turned to the Memorial Garden at St. Paul’s and the new columbarium. I decided that Roger would be cremated and his ashes placed in the columbarium at St. Paul’s Memorial Garden.

St. Paul’s had been our church home for almost twenty-five years. Our wedding vows had been renewed there and our son, John, and daughter, Liz, confirmed there. My husband had been a Scout leader at St. Paul’s and John did his Eagle project there. We had all been involved with the Farmworker Ministry for many years. Roger and I loved St. Paul’s, and I remember well sitting beside him in church, very grateful for our many blessings and especially grateful for him. It seemed fitting that St. Paul’s be his final resting place.

Each time I go to the Memorial Garden, I am struck by the beauty of that sacred place and by the power of nature. The open sky, the flowering shrubs and tall trees all speak to me of the presence of God. There is a serenity and a goodness there and it is a comfort to me that my husband be surrounded by other church members who have gone before him. It is a place where one can sit and remember and honor our beloved departed ones and find comfort. It is a place in which one can quietly give profound thanks….

Submitted by Gale Herrman