Sacred Heart Garden Ministry

We were pleased that the St. Kateri Conservation Center chose Sacred Heart Parish to become the first Ark of Faith and Biodiversity in the nation. The Ark program draws its inspiration from Noah’s Ark and Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. It invites parishes to renew their Catholic faith by deepening connections with God and fostering harmonious relationships with one another and with all of creation.

As a Parish Ark, we have agreed to conserve 30% of our parish open land for the well-being of people, biodiversity, and climate resilience through faith, rewilding, restoration, and land conservation. We have already met these requirements, but parishioners continue to work with the St. Kateri Conservation Center to make Sacred Heart a model of responsible ecological stewardship.

Updates on Parish Projects

In Spring 2025, we created a sunny Friendship Garden filled with native plants that support pollinators and other wildlife. We also established a Meditation Garden in the large wooded area above the church.

In Fall 2025, we expanded both the Friendship Garden and Meditation Garden. We also began replacing grass with native plants in the Raised Garden under the large windows near the main intersection by the Parish Center. This planting includes traditional native pollinator plants as well as ferns, grasses, and shrubs.

Debris from the renovation of our gardens is used to create the Hügelkultur Berm near the lower rock wall in the woods. All of this work has been accomplished through direct donations of time and materials from parishioners and others who believe in the value of this project.

Since Spring 2026, we have been working on the following projects:

1. We have moved forward with negotiations between the Town of Lexington and the RCAB regarding the proposed trail.

2. We have reached out to the Tree Committee and Tree Warden about removing a badly damaged tree from the traffic circle in front of the Parish Center.

3. We have maintained the newly planted gardens and seasonal planters around the Parish Center and expanded them to replace additional areas of grass. Wild strawberries and squash grown from seeds saved from altar decorations have set fruit in the Raised Garden. A low hedge of mixed pollinator plants was established along the lower retaining wall near the main intersection, where the Northern sea oats have been particularly successful. Brown-eyed Susans, Joe Pye weed, Monarda, and other plants are proliferating in the Friendship Garden. We also planted an inkberry hedge around the entrance to the Parish Center and plan to replace several plants that struggled when we refresh the gardens this fall.

4. We installed a newly donated statue of St. Francis in the Friendship Garden.

5. We planted a small bur oak sapling gifted by the Town of Lexington on the hill near the McCabe Garden.

6. A survey of the woodland identified two hazardous trees that will be removed in the fall.

7. We visited Wagon Wheel Nursery to look for a suitable tree for a memorial planting planned for the fall.

8. We provided the co-chair of the Finance Council with a summary of how this work integrates with Laudato Si’ while also benefiting the parish financially. These projects have been funded through donations of money, plants, materials, and volunteer labor while attracting new donations and reducing long-term grounds-maintenance costs. We hope to work with the councils to implement changes that will support Laudato Si’ and save the parish additional money.

Updates on Related Collaborations

The St. Kateri Conservation Center established the Sacred Heart iNaturalist Project to monitor changes in biodiversity on our property over time. As of August 2026, 87 species have been identified on our grounds. The Center is also working with us on plans to reduce maintenance costs, manage drainage issues, and responsibly address our need for additional on-site parking for individuals with mobility difficulties.

We are also collaborating with the Town of Lexington to establish a trail through our woods that will connect with a recently acquired two-acre parcel known as Widnall Woods. The Conservation Commission has completed its survey of our land and provided us with a draft legal agreement and a proposal for the Sacred Heart Trail. The trail would expand the ACROSS Lexington trail network and provide important connections in East Lexington. Fr. Fran met with representatives of the Commission and directed us to submit the plans to the Archdiocese for review. The legal details of this innovative collaboration are now being worked out.

Sacred Heart is also playing an important role as a pilot project for a collaborative initiative between the St. Kateri Conservation Center and the Archdiocese of Boston to survey and track land use on Catholic properties across the Archdiocese. During 2026, this project is being expanded into additional areas along the East Coast.

Education and Community Outreach continue to be critical components of this work. We have offered numerous workshops and talks in our own parish, spoken at the RCAB conference on Laudato Si’, and had our work highlighted in our local paper and the Boston Pilot.

Recently, one of our members attended a papal conference on Laudato Si’ and returned to the parish to discuss Pope Leo’s message on the environment. We are also in the early stages of collaborating with other parishioners to develop an innovative Laudato Si’ curriculum for children’s faith formation.

The St. Kateri Center has asked us to help other parishes establish their own Arks, and we are meeting with others interested in the Parish Ark initiative. We are also working with the Center to design a new sign for the Ark program and provide additional information for other parishes undertaking this work.

Thank you to all who have joined us in nurturing our environment and making a lasting difference!