Cemetery breaks new ground with multi-million dollar expansion

It’s big, it’s beautiful, and it may be the first of its kind in Metro Vancouver.

The Holy Angels Mausolea and Columbaria is a new multimillion-dollar project at Gardens of Gethsemani in Surrey that looks more like a small village than a cemetery.

“We haven’t seen anything quite like it in the Lower Mainland,” said director Peter Nobes days before the grand opening and dedication June 28.

Rather than build one giant mausoleum on the property, Nobes and the team at Gardens of Gethsemani opted for a series of smaller buildings that form a small village, complete with trees, water features, low walls, and statues that pay homage to the holy angels.

Phase 1 of the project was completed in January and added 195 crypts and more than 2,000 niches to the Catholic cemetery.

“We wanted it to have a community feel, we wanted it to fit with our direction to provide sacred space for prayer and worship, and we wanted it to be a unique Christian environment,” said Nobes.

The more than $5-million investment is the biggest project Gardens of Gethsemani has embarked on since the late Archbishop William Mark Duke of Vancouver bought the land in the 1950s. Trends in burials have changed much since then, and the cemetery has tried to keep up. This village concept is no different.

The next three phases, which will follow the same visual style of granite structures, water features, and statues, will expand the village as need arises and leave flexibility for trends in demand for cremation or full body burial.

Anna Loch, outreach manager at Gardens of Gethsemani, said due to the COVID-19 pandemic fewer people than usual have visited the grounds to pay their respects or pray at the cemetery chapel, but those who have seem to like the new design.

“People love the granite. They think it’s beautiful.” While the cemetery already displays many statues of saints (including St. Andrew Kim, St. Anthony of Padua, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and Our Lady of La Vang) this is the first time they are putting a spotlight on angels.

“The angels do have a role in guiding us and mentoring us through life, inspiring us, keeping us away from temptation, and being with us at the end of life,” said Loch.

Gardens of Gethsemani staff consulted Father John Horgan, pastor at St. Pius X and a frequent speaker on the subject of angels, when choosing the name. Father Horgan wrote a prayer that will be used at the dedication of the Holy Angels project June 28.

“As once You sent Your holy angel to minister to Your Son in the Garden of Gethsemani, so may Your angels remain here always to bring comfort to all who mourn,” says a portion of the prayer.

“Under the care of Your holy angels, may these crypts give testimony to our hope and faith in the resurrection of Your Son, who was laid in the tomb but rose again on the third day and is now seated at Your right hand in glory.”

Loch added that Gardens of Gethsemani welcomes Christians of all denominations looking for a sacred space to bury their loved ones. For them, the focus on angels might be particularly meaningful.

“We traditionally think of angels as comforting and protecting. They are a common bond between all Christians,” she said, noting archangels made a huge difference in the lives of Mary and many other Biblical characters.

The grand opening of the Holy Angels Mausolea and Columbaria might not be the event organizers were hoping for when the project began in 2018. But the event will go ahead with a blessing from Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, June 28. Due to government-imposed bans on events of more than 50 people, anyone unable to attend in person can view the event via livestream.

More information about the project is at www.holyangelsatgardens.ca.