KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in downtown Kansas City recently renovated the north side of the church into a garden for the ashes of the dead.

“You can see the sound of the water and the skyline from here,” said Jim Bogard, who built the garden. “It’s like a little oasis to park here and think.”

St. St. Luke’s Health System has partnered with the church to provide scattered gardening as an option for families whose children die before birth and families who die without family or friends to bury them.

St. “Before I heard about the idea of ​​a messy garden, I didn’t realize there were people with nowhere to go,” said Sean Kim, St. Mary’s rector.

St. St. Luke’s Director of Spiritual Wellbeing Susan Roberts said the church had a network of colleagues who could offer cremation support and financial support to enable them to find their final resting place.

“The fact that we all work towards the same goal to give people a dignified place to rest in peace is an example of this beautiful bond between us,” he said.

Parrishner and assistant principal Philip Lofflin jumped at the opportunity to design the space.

“So I put pen to paper and came up with a design,” he said. “It’s the first thing I’ve ever made.”

Ruth Rinehart and her late husband Tom are the donors behind the project.

“We are very happy to make an impact on them as well, as they have brought to my life and then to Tom’s life,” Rinehart said.

Tom couldn’t see the garden before he passed, but his ashes were the first to find their final resting place in the garden.

“I know Tom would be so proud of it, he would love it,” she said.

Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church is located at the corner of 13th and Holmes.

KSHB 41 reporter Abby Dodge covers consumer issues, personal budgeting and everyday spending. Share your story idea with Abby.

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