Over the past several years, the grounds of Bethany House & Garden have changed dramatically — both in look and in use! A few weeks ago, we provided a brief update in the DioLog, and here we offer a fuller explanation of the exciting changes that have taken place and are ongoing.
Among the prairie plants…
A big shift you may notice if you visit the gardens today is the construction going on in the center of our prairie garden. In June we finally broke ground on our labyrinth! The labyrinth path is going to be a simple spiral design, incorporating the existing pathways, expanding them, and re-planting other sections to create a single path in and out of the center stone circle.
Our volunteers put in several weeks of work digging plants out of the construction zone and placing them in a temporary ‘nursery’ bed nearby. We’ve had a great success rate keeping these plants going during their transition – a real challenge during these hottest weeks of summer. Keep an eye out in the next DioLog for our prairie re-planting day (date TBD).
Once the pathways have cured and our plants are back in the ground, we will be hosting a grand opening of the labyrinth with guided walks and information on this ancient form of kinetic meditation.
In the Culinary Garden…
The fruits and veggies have been wonderfully abundant in the culinary garden this year. We have been regularly bringing donations to the weekly food pantry at St. David’s, supplying produce to The Mission in North Topeka, and sharing with our neighbors who come into the garden.
Unfortunately, we experienced some vandalism earlier in the summer and several of the plants that we had intended to harvest from all summer – kale, chard, onions, peppers – were ripped up and destroyed. It’s an unusual occurrence, and a heartbreaking one, as it represents months of effort growing these plants from seed wasted and many more weeks of harvesting cut short.
In brighter news, we expanded our planting area, adding a new bed just for our 100 tomato plants to the south of St. Simon’s Chapel. Our head gardener, Willie, built a series of vertical trellises for us to try this year and the tomatoes are coming on beautifully. I sense another great batch of BH&G salsa in our future!
Back in the main culinary garden, we are preparing for the return of some of our favorite neighbors: the students at Topeka High. Two of the upper-level art classes will be coming over to the garden this fall to paint the remaining raised-bed planters in a set of coordinating murals featuring native Kansas plants and animals. We love having students in the garden and are hoping to host more classes and potentially partner with the biology and horticulture classes in the spring as we prepare for next year’s planting.
In the Chapel…
St. Simon’s is named after St. Simon the Cyrenian Episcopal Church, which was a ‘bricks and mortar’ church, located at 7th and Western in Central, consecrated by then-Bishop Millspaugh in 1809. It was a church of black parishioners, located several blocks from where the Diocesan office now sits. The parish was closed in 1964.
As the BH&G grounds were developed, the outdoor chapel was built and dedicated to that earlier place of worship. The outdoor chapel is now ‘backed’ by a large screen altarpiece featuring a photograph of some of the members of St. Simon the Cyrenian from the 1920s. A plaque on the arch leading into the chapel commemorates that earlier parish.
Earlier this year, as events in our country and across the world became more chaotic, as political divisions grew wider, and as signs of kindness and compassion seemed to be pushed more to the background, Bishop Bascom and some local clergy began planning to offer weekly services in the outdoor chapel. We sought to develop short moments of respite, set in the peaceful surroundings of the Gardens.
Twice each week, on Tuesdays at 12:15 (w/Holy Communion) and on Thursdays at 5:30, we gather to pray, to hear wisdom from Holy Scripture, and to share some moments of silence. We have recently begun offering music as part of each service. We sing well-known hymns of old, accompanied by the sounds of birds, the sight of bunnies hopping beside us, and the knowledge that God is with us. Each service is approximately 30 minutes in length.
We currently average between 6 and 8 participants at each service, for a total of 12-16/week. Currently, the Reverend Betty Glover serves as Chaplain to St. Simon’s and organizes/develops the services we offer. The services are led by several local clergy, as available.If you would like more information or questions about the Gardens, or St. Simon’s Chapel, please contact either Mother Caroline or Mother Betty, through the Diocesan Office: 785-235-9255.
by the Rev. Caroline Howard & the Rev. Betty Glover
835 SW Polk St.