Parish Priest Fr Elver Delicano and parishioners of St Francis of Assisi Parish in Maida Vale were delighted to open the Prayer Garden with a threefold purpose on August 15.
The Garden, opened by Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey, consists of three components.
The wall is dedicated to all unborn children who have died unknown except to God. Many children who die before birth have no gravestone.
A new grotto to St Francis of Assisi was built by non-Catholic parish neighbour Tom Hogg together with parishioner Len Harrison in about six weeks.
The Rosary Path built by Mr Harrison takes the shape of a Rosary; each tile step is a ‘bead’.
On the day, Archbishop Hickey blessed the Memory of the Unborn Wall, the Grotto and the Rosary Walk.
The blessings were followed by a morning tea reception featuring a special cake made by Judy Bell and her sister Mary.
“I’m so excited with this project, especially since the whole Prayer Garden was conceived and built by our parishioners,” Fr Delicano said.
“All the fundraising over the last few months has been worth it. Our parishioners can now enjoy and be proud of their Grotto and the two new and unique features – the In Memory of the Unborn Wall and the Rosary Path. We now look forward to our next project scheduled for completion this coming October, the Garden of Remembrance.”