All human life is sacred, from conception until natural death. It is this truth that provided the inspiration for The Miracle of Life Rosary Garden. Through the intercession of Our Lady, Help of Christians and those unborn Saints to whom the Garden is dedicated, let us pray that this place of prayer will also be a place of miracles.
History of Our Lady, Help of Christians
In 1571, the entire Christian West faced destruction from the onslaught of the invading Ottoman Empire marauders. In a final attempt to save the Church, Pope St. Pius V assembled what Christian armies remained into what is now known as the Holy League. After the Pope invoked Our Lady, Help of Christians and called upon all of Europe to pray the rosary, the Holy League set out for Greece. On October 7, 1571, led by Don John of Austria, the Battle of Lepanto was won by the Holy League over the much larger Ottoman fleet.
In honor of this incredible victory, Pope St. Pius V designated the first Sunday in October as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. It has since been moved to October 7 and renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Almost 300 years later, St. John Bosco had a prophetic dream of the future battles confronting the Church. In his dream, a large ship, commanded by the Pope, was steered between two towering pillars. The larger of the pillars supported the Eucharist. The other supported a statue of our Blessed Mother, at whose feet was inscribed, Auxilium Christianorum (Help of Christians) – a title that St. John Bosco later wrote “seems to please the august Queen of Heaven very much.”
The Rosary Garden’s Design
Every aspect of the Garden’s design has a specific meaning and purpose. The statues, the flowers, all of the shapes and all of the colors have been intentionally selected for a reason.
The walkway itself is in the shape of a rosary. It contains nearly 5,000 bricks, each available to be engraved with a personal message in memorandum to a loved one or as gift to family members and friends.
Five stone planters line the circular walkway. These represent the five decades of the rosary. Each planter is filled with white alyssum, evoking images of the clouds of heaven. The beads of the rosary are found in the ten bunches of blue salvia, the color of Our Lady’s cloak.
Red rose bushes surround the entire garden. The word “rosary” actually means, “a garden of roses” offered to Our Lady. At the base of the rose bushes are lilac petunias, the flower signifying Our Lady’s Praises.Two Guardian Angels stand at opposite sides at the entrance to the Rosary Garden, flanked by a statue of the great protector of babies, St. Michael the Archangel. At the back of the Rosary Garden a beautiful statue of Our Lady, Help of Christians sits atop a gentle waterfall that cascades into a reflection pool below. This statue overlooks the Rosary Garden and the rural landscape of Pine Bluff. Our Lady is surrounded by a row of pine trees – symbolizing the twelve apostles – and stands on a flower-covered mound in the shape of her Immaculate Heart. The flowers on the sides of the waterfall alternate between red and white, symbolizing the Blood and Water that poured out from the pierced side of Christ. At the base of the reflection pool is a statue of an angel watching over a sleeping baby.
A Sacred Burial Place
The most meaningful part of the Rosary Garden may also be the most serene. It is the grassy bower in the center, the space set aside especially for the burial of babies that have died before birth – a quintessential testimony to the immense value of all life!
For more information specifically regarding this sacred alcove, please visit the Sacred Burial Place page.
All human life is sacred, from conception until natural death. It is this truth that provided the inspiration for The Miracle of Life Rosary Garden. Through the intercession of Our Lady, Help of Christians and those unborn Saints to whom the Garden is dedicated, let us pray that this place of prayer will also be a place of miracles.
In 1571, the entire Christian West faced destruction from the onslaught of the invading Ottoman Empire marauders. In a final attempt to save the Church, Pope St. Pius V assembled what Christian armies remained into what is now known as the Holy League. After the Pope invoked Our Lady, Help of Christians and called upon all of Europe to pray the rosary, the Holy League set out for Greece. On October 7, 1571, led by Don John of Austria, the Battle of Lepanto was won by the Holy League over the much larger Ottoman fleet.
In honor of this incredible victory, Pope St. Pius V designated the first Sunday in October as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. It has since been moved to October 7 and renamed the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Almost 300 years later, St. John Bosco had a prophetic dream of the future battles confronting the Church. In his dream, a large ship, commanded by the Pope, was steered between two towering pillars. The larger of the pillars supported the Eucharist. The other supported a statue of our Blessed Mother, at whose feet was inscribed, Auxilium Christianorum (Help of Christians) – a title that St. John Bosco later wrote “seems to please the august Queen of Heaven very much.”
Every aspect of the Garden’s design has a specific meaning and purpose. The statues, the flowers, all of the shapes and all of the colors have been intentionally selected for a reason.
The walkway itself is in the shape of a rosary. It contains nearly 5,000 bricks, each available to be engraved with a personal message in memorandum to a loved one or as gift to family members and friends.
Five stone planters line the circular walkway. These represent the five decades of the rosary. Each planter is filled with white alyssum, evoking images of the clouds of heaven. The beads of the rosary are found in the ten bunches of blue salvia, the color of Our Lady’s cloak.
Red rose bushes surround the entire garden. The word “rosary” actually means, “a garden of roses” offered to Our Lady. At the base of the rose bushes are lilac petunias, the flower signifying Our Lady’s Praises.
Two Guardian Angels stand at opposite sides at the entrance to the Rosary Garden, flanked by a statue of the great protector of babies, St. Michael the Archangel. At the back of the Rosary Garden a beautiful statue of Our Lady, Help of Christians sits atop a gentle waterfall that cascades into a reflection pool below. This statue overlooks the Rosary Garden and the rural landscape of Pine Bluff. Our Lady is surrounded by a row of pine trees – symbolizing the twelve apostles – and stands on a flower-covered mound in the shape of her Immaculate Heart. The flowers on the sides of the waterfall alternate between red and white, symbolizing the Blood and Water that poured out from the pierced side of Christ. At the base of the reflection pool is a statue of an angel watching over a sleeping baby.
The most meaningful part of the Rosary Garden may also be the most serene. It is the grassy bower in the center, the space set aside especially for the burial of babies that have died before birth – a quintessential testimony to the immense value of all life!
For more information specifically regarding this sacred alcove, please visit the Sacred Burial Place page.