Traffic lights also now at the entrance to the cemetery
The B.C. Catholic
The Gardens of Gethsemani is going to unveil plans to expand the Resurrection Mausoleum at an open house April 15 and 16.
“It’s the heart and soul of the cemetery,” said director Peter Nobes. “It’s the anchor building. That’s where the first interments were.”
The mausoleum was built in 1962. Four bishops have been laid to rest there.
Nobes said the plan is to extend the back of the building to add more crypts and niches for purchase. “Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “We are called to take great care of people who have died.”
More details will be released at the open house. Meanwhile, staff members at Gardens of Gethsemani are tackling other projects to improve and beautify the space.
For example, a new stone gate and traffic lights have been installed at the entrance to the cemetery.
“We’re right on 32nd Avenue, which, when we bought the property in the 1960s, was farm country; it was very low traffic. Now it’s become a main artery.”
The traffic light will help departing visitors get back on the main road. The gate will carry large, new lettering to help the cemetery stand out. “We always had this little sign and we were kind of difficult to find.”
Nobes hopes the new gate will be ready in time to be the “threshold” guests cross to attend the open house.
He said he is constantly looking for ways to make the cemetery more beautiful. New statues, mosaics, gardens, and other elements are installed at the Gardens of Gethsemani every year.
“It ties in with our reverence for the body,” he explained.
“What we try and do with the Gardens is make it a reverent space that’s a witness to our faith, and do that with beautiful buildings, statues of interesting saints, and making it very serene and a reverent place to pray, reflect, and visit.”
