Rockford’s Newspaper Rock River Times | rockford illinois news information

In keeping with the City of Loves Park’s plans to revitalize the North Second Street corridor, St. Chad Episcopal Church, 6245 N. Second St., has announced the construction of “The Gardens at St. Chad’s.”

The congregation hopes the Gardens will become a kind of oasis amid the Second Street commercial district, offering neighbors and visitors a lovely and serene setting in which to meditate, relax and rest.

Funded through a grant from the Mission Opportunity Fund of the Bishop and Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, and from contributions from the church membership and friends, the Gardens will feature six segmental quarry stone block garden walls along the North Second Street and Theodore Street perimeters of the church property. The walls will each have planting beds around them for shrubs, perennials, evergreens and other plantings. The interior area created by the walls will contain ornamental trees, a walking path, benches, a small fountain and a memorial garden in a park-like setting that will be open to the public, and available for weddings and other gatherings. St. Chad?s corner in the heart of the city will be transformed into a distinctive landmark, a symbol of our community spirit, and a reflection of a vibrant community of faith.

“The Gardens at St. Chad’s” is the church’s gift to the neighborhood, the 46,000 people who drive by on North Second Street each day, and to the City of Loves Park. The congregation hopes that people will visit the Gardens, make use of this new resource, and enjoy the beauty and serenity of St. Chad’s corner.

This is really exciting news for St. Chad’s! As it happens, I met some of their members at a recent diocesan stewardship workshop.

They are similar in size to Holy Innocents, so this just goes to show that if you ask, it shall be given (if it’s a grant in a good cause, that is).