Determination, Prayer Results in Garden at Immaculate Conception

Sandra Marks, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, wanted to grow a garden in a small unused courtyard. A year ago she was told the sun doesn’t shine there and nothing would grow.

This year, she talked with Anne Arias, who suggested she ask people to contribute plants in the church newsletter. No one brought anything.

“Anne said, I don’t think we’re going to have a garden,” Marks said. “I said, yeah, I think were going to have the garden. Let me go home and pray.”

Marks said she crossed the parking lot and said, “God, we need some plants, and this lady named Bonnie brought two beautiful rose bushes.”

She said then it just started happening.

“People started bringing stuff, and we didn’t know if it was going to work or not, and it was totally on faith that we were going to try this,” Marks said. “People were really generous.”

She and Arias started planting. Marks said Arias is an architect, so she did the arranging and planning.

One woman brought over bricks and stones for borders. One part of the garden was filled with rock, and a helpful son of a church member dug up the rock so they could plant.

“This whole thing was just done on faith and prayer and it just happened,” Marks said.

Someone donated a Virgin Mary, and Marks said she wanted to get a weeping Mary in memory of Georgette (Boots) Straub, a beloved parishioner who died recently at 95.

“It’s a nice place to sit outside to pray or talk to God, or talk to somebody,” Marks said. It’s there, behind the church office next to Marshall Avenue, for anyone to use.