The Garden Connection – November 2025 | Planting Hope: Gardens, Mercy, and Community
Gardens can become places where hope takes root through simple acts of care, hospitality, and shared effort. Tending the soil, growing food, and creating spaces of welcome can reflect the call to mercy found throughout the Gospel – offering practical ways to serve neighbors and strengthen community.
This issue of The Garden Connection highlights how gardens can express the Works of Mercy through generosity, connection, and care for creation. From stories of gardens that nourish both body and spirit to reflections on community and service, the newsletter explores the many ways cultivating the earth can also cultivate hope.
Read the full newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/968f8a6bf5bd/planting-hope-gardens-mercy-community
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| Planting Hope: Gardens & the Works of Mercy On November 12, gardeners, parish leaders, and friends gathered at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, VA, for Planting Hope: Gardens & the Works of Mercy – an evening of reflection, shared stories, and encouragement for the season ahead. Opening in Prayer Anna Knier from the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s Peace and Justice Commission opened the evening with the Jubilee Prayer, including a beautiful petition that God might transform us into “tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.” The prayer also asks that these seeds transform humanity and the entire cosmos in the expectation of a new heaven and a new earth. It was a fitting way to begin a night centered on seeds, gardens, mercy, and hope. Fr. John Riley: Seeds, Sowers, and the Ultimate Seed Fr. John Riley, who currently serves as the Spiritual Director for the San Damiano Retreat Center in White Post, VA, offered a rich reflection on the many times Jesus speaks about sowers, seeds, soil, and plants in the Gospels. He walked us through parables such as the sower, the mustard seed, and the weeds among the wheat, showing how Jesus uses images from creation to reveal the mystery of God’s Kingdom. He reflected on how gardening, when done with love, carries a kind of sacramental character – a visible way of participating in God’s tenderness and generosity. Fr. Riley connected this to the Eucharist, which he described as the “ultimate seed” – Christ Himself given to us so that His life can take root and bear fruit within us. He also lifted up the quote from our printed program, “Do small things with great love,” noting how closely it mirrors the spirituality of gardeners. A small harvest – perhaps just a few tomatoes – offered with love has meaning in God’s eyes. As we enter Advent, Fr. Riley encouraged us to spend intentional time with the Gospels, using the Scripture passages he shared as weekly meditations in the weeks leading up to Christmas. |
Panel: Gardens of Welcome, Service, and Community After Fr. Riley’s talk, Anna moderated a panel featuring three gardeners from the CGN community: Linda Nordstrom, St. Fiacre Vegetable Garden, Nativity Catholic Church (Burke, VA) Harry Rissetto, Gonzaga College High School Garden Club (Washington, DC) Julene Jarnot, Isidore’s Garden, Our Lady Queen of Peace (Arlington, VA) , who also serves as Executive Director of CGN Each panelist spoke about the different ways their garden is serving their community, from engaging volunteers and students to providing food for neighbors to creating spaces that bring people together. Their stories highlighted the many forms garden ministry can take and the shared hope it cultivates. The panelists also offered practical encouragement for anyone interested in starting a garden. Harry Rissetto, in particular, reassured attendees that it’s possible to begin very small and that people and resources often appear once you take that first step, encouraging everyone to trust that support will come as the garden grows. Gardens & the Works of Mercy In keeping with the evening’s theme, the stories showed how Catholic gardens can become places where the Works of Mercy take root in daily life. They reflected gardens that feed the hungry, offer places of welcome, become spaces of comfort and beauty, teach practical skills that help instruct and encourage, and invite moments of reflection and prayer that echo the call to pray for the living and the dead. Community, Connection & Garden Joy Attendees from a variety of parishes, schools, and ministries also had time to enjoy a simple reception, connect with one another, and browse photos of CGN gardens displayed around the room. As we move into Advent, we carry with us the invitation to keep cultivating: in our gardens, in our communities, and in our hearts, trusting that God continues to plant and grow seeds of hope. |
| Garden Spotlight: Place of Peace (Bristow, Virginia) |
November, the month dedicated to remembering the dead and praying for all souls, offers a meaningful moment to highlight the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia and their Place of Peace in Bristow. Established in 2005, this tranquil setting includes the Forgiveness Garden, the Bereaved Parents Garden, the Teaching Garden (maintained with Virginia Master Gardeners), and peaceful walking paths open to the public from sunrise to sunset. These gardens invite visitors into healing, prayer, and quiet companionship with God. The Forgiveness Garden offers a contemplative space to release burdens and seek peace. The Bereaved Parents Garden holds particular tenderness – offering solace to those who grieve the loss of a child and embodying the Works of Mercy: comforting the afflicted, praying for the living and the dead, and offering presence to the suffering. By welcoming neighbors and strangers alike, the Place of Peace shows how gardens can become places of mercy where remembrance, hospitality, and hope take root. |
Garden Saints of November
As we reflect on the saints celebrated this month…
All Saints Day (Nov 1)
A celebration of the great cloud of witnesses – reminding us that every garden of prayer or remembrance participates in the communion of saints.
All Souls Day (Nov 2)
A day to remember and pray for our beloved dead – beautifully honored in memorial, cemetery, and prayer gardens.
St. Martin de Porres (Nov 3)
A model of humility and care for the poor – gardens serving neighbors embody this mercy.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (Nov 13)
Patron of immigrants; gardens that welcome strangers echo her spirit of shelter and love.
| Blessing at Nativity Catholic Church Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, VA recently added 6 trees, 16 shrubs, and 225 perennials along the parish driveway as part of a new Laudato Si’ Garden. Parishioners gathered with Msgr. Cilinski for a simple outdoor blessing on Sunday, Nov 16, giving thanks for creation and for the volunteers who brought the project to life. | This new planting complements Nativity’s other gardens in the CGN Garden Directory.St. Kateri HabitatsSt. Fiacre Vegetable Garden |