Good Shepherd, Emsdale, Dedicates New Garden
On Sunday, September 21, the Parish of the Good Shepherd in Emsdale gathered for a joyful service of Confirmation, followed by the official dedication of its new Healing Garden. The celebration marked the culmination of a project that began in spring 2024 with the support of a $5,000 grant from the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC).
The Healing Garden was one of the successful applicants to AFC’s 2023 Request for Proposals—Viriditas: God’s Greening Power—a special funding stream inspired by Hildegard of Bingen’s vision of God’s regenerative, greening energy at work in the world. Through this RFP, parishes across Canada were invited to pursue projects that embody climate care and “green shoots” ministries, offering fresh, creative responses to local needs.
Archbishop Anne Germond, who preached at the service of dedication, described the new garden as “a garden of resurrection, a space where signs of new life rise from the earth, echoing the deep truth that God is always at work making all things new. Just as Christ emerged from the tomb into the light of resurrection morning, so too does this garden remind us that healing is possible, that life springs forth even from places of pain, and that hope is never lost.”
At the start of the dedication, Ojibway Elder Dolores McKay offered a teaching on sacred medicines and sang an honour song, grounding the new space in both Indigenous wisdom and Christian faith.
For the people of Good Shepherd—the only active church in Perry Township—the Healing Garden represents more than beautification. It was envisioned as a prayer garden and community greening space. Parishioners and community members worked side by side from May through July 2024 to bring the vision to life. The result is a lasting gift of beauty, peace, and wellness for township residents and visitors alike.
Now complete, the Healing Garden stands as a living testimony to the parish’s commitment to be a source of healing and hope in the community it has faithfully served since 1905.
Archbishop Germond reflected, “It’s a place of refuge and prayer; a place of stillness and contemplation; a place of rest for the weary. Thanks to the support of the Anglican Foundation of Canada, that vision has become a reality.”