Fr. Manuel Curso, our former pastor, and Sister Olive came up with the idea of a meditation garden two years ago. When Fr. Curso left for sabbatical, he continued to inspire and encourage Sister to proceed with the project. Before Sister Olive left to attend the General Chapter meeting in June 2001, she formed an ad hoc committee to start the project. She requested her cousin, Miss Clarita Mijares who is an architect, to lay out the design of the garden. Volunteers from the parish and Renew members (small faith sharing communities) came forward to clean up the garden and repair the fence.

Joel Martinelli volunteered to be the project coordinator to oversee the activities of the project including solicitations for sponsorship (click here for list of sponsors). Mr. Nino Siorda was responsible for the carpentry and brick laying while Mr. Fred Mendoza built the grotto. The painting of the fence was done by the students of the El Camino Leadership Class 2002. The OLM Meditation Garden has become a parish project with many people involved in it.

The most distinguishable feature of the garden is the set of artwork in vibrant stained glass depicting the Stations of the Cross arranged along the fence enclosing the yard. The designs for the Stations of the Cross were drawn by Francis Putulin in 1998 while he was in 8th grade at Our Lady of Mercy School. "Whenever I see the garden I am just filled with awe and gratitude for the master work of art especially with the artistic talents of Francis Putulin", says Sister Olive. (The original drawings now adorn the central hallway of the parish center).

The drawings were faithfully rendered in stained glass by the mother-and-son team of Pat and Marc Haegar of the Haegar Glass Studios in San Jose under the direction of Fr. John Glogowski, formerly Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, now pastor of St. Matthias Parish in Redwood City.

February 2, 2002