Olympics: Peace Garden opened in Welwyn Garden City

Rosa Rawashima,Anne Keller and Anne Stapleton

As part of the project to create a circle of prayer for peace around London for the 2012 Olympics, Our Lady's Parish in Welwyn Garden City have made a Peace Garden. This was opened on Friday 6 July following a Mass of welcome for their week-long programme with the Pax Christi Icon of Peace.

Three parishoners, Anne Keller, Rosa Rawashima and Anne Stapleton, a Pax Christi member, had the vision for the Peace Garden.

Work began in April 2012 with a team of volunteers from the parish. The Peace Garden will be a place for all to come to learn and experience the meaning of peace, aided by the design and symbols in the garden. They also hope that it will be a place where peace is celebrated and where those who contribute to peace, unity and forgiveness may be remembered.

The garden has a specially designed Peace Plaque and in several places, words of peace in different languages, contributed by members of the parish. One of the flowerbeds is created with colours that form the rainbow. There is an Olive tree and a Peacemaker rose together with healing herbs and many features designed to make the
garden bird and animal friendly!

Among other things, the Icon will be present in a prayer tent during the civic celebration to mark the Olympic Torch coming through Welwyn; it will be taken to Welwyn Station where a parish choir will sing peace songs to commuters; it will be visit six schools in Welwyn and the Coptic Bishop Angaelos from Stevenage will lead a meditation on Icons.

Pat Gaffney of Pax Christi spoke with Fr Norbert Fernandes, the parish priest, about the week-long programme with the Pax Christi Icon of peace. She said: "This is one of the most creative programmes we have seen to date. We are very impressed that the Catholic community in Welwyn have worked so well with civic, ecumenical and other faith communities in promoting the 100 days of Peace message to the whole of Welwyn Garden City."