Sanctity, Beauty, and Activity
In a setting of grass, gardens, and wooded glades – just over four acres in all – Saint Mary’s campus offers sanctity, beauty, and a venue for purposeful activity all in one. We have a classic sanctuary, an iconic parish hall, a tranquil memorial garden, and spectacular gardens that delight the local community and draw frequent visitors from afar.
The church itself follows the classic pattern of nave and chancel, transepts, Lady Chapel (in the south transept), sacristy, flower room, etc. A new south aisle, added as part of a renovation in 2019, increases its liturgical flexibility. Connected to the church and in the same building, a new upper level contains a library and choir robing room; a middle level opens into the church itself; and an expanded lower level has a light-filled parish hall and attached kitchen. All floors are linked by an elevator, making that whole part of the campus — including four new bathrooms — accessible. The building also features 21st-century technology that allows livestreaming of our services and Zoom capability for meeting remotely as well as in-person.
Our classroom/office wing includes meeting rooms, administrative offices, and rooms used for education and formation – as well as by the pre-school that occupies some of our facilities during the week. Recently installed solar panels indicate our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, as part of our dedication to creation care.
Another recent innovation is our thrift shop. Titled Angels’ Treasures, it attracts a lively and extensive clientele, and significantly supports both our outreach and operating budgets.
The gardens (see below) offer opportunities for both calm and contemplation and active gardening by parish volunteers. A small outdoor playground serves active kids. And parking is ample for most occasions at St. Mary’s.
The campus also includes the rectory, a short walk from the church and offices. The current renters’ tenancy ends in late January. The house will be updated with refurbished bathrooms and a modernized kitchen to make it ready for the new rector if he or she opts to live in the rectory.
.
Gardens of Grace
St. Mary’s doesn’t restrict opportunities for worshipping God to its sanctuary. The entire campus represents sacred space, and none more so than the gardens. Since 1946, they have served to comfort the grieving, to stimulate loving labor by volunteers, and to reveal the beauty of God’s universe to our congregation and our visitors.
Our second rector, the Reverend Robert Wood Nicholson, envisioned the gardens in 1946. They started as a cornucopia pool, an herb garden, and a wisteria arbor. Joined by members of the congregation, Father Nicholson put countless hours of “sweat equity” into expanding the facility. It took only twelve years for the gardens to win a gold medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. In the early 1970s, the parish dedicated a small glade within the property as a memorial garden. This contains the ashes of past members and their families, and serves as a haven of peace, remembrance, and meditation for the bereaved.
Maintaining the gardens isn’t always easy. Recycling of building materials, sustainable gardening, and community engagement are ongoing tenets. So is the basic principle of keeping the creek waters running properly around the church parking lots and gardens and out to the adjoining marshlands. Those tasks demand plenty of hard work. On occasion, the number of necessary volunteers falls short of the ideal.
As they have grown and changed over the years, St. Mary’s gardens have become to many a metaphor for the stories Jesus taught. “Consider the lilies, how they grow,” He said in St. Luke’s Gospel. “They neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Our volunteers continue to maintain that natural beauty of our gardens, inspired by talented mentors.
