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About The Mysteries of Light Rosary Garden
For many centuries the Dominican friars have been preachers of the Gospel and propagators of the devotion of the Holy Rosary, a prayerful meditation on aspects of the life of Jesus and Mary. 2021 marked the 800th anniversary of the Dominicans’ arrival in England, and they have been ministering in north London since 1861, based at the Priory Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic, one of the largest Catholic churches in London. In 2016, Cardinal Nichols declared this unique church, which has stone-carved altars and individual chapels dedicated to each of the traditional fifteen aspects of the Rosary, to be the ‘Rosary Shrine’ for his diocese. As such the friars decided to build a garden dedicated to the so-called “Mysteries of Light”: a further five aspects of Christ’s life that had been added to the traditional set of fifteen ‘mysteries’ by Pope St John Paul II in 2002.
Thanks to the generosity of parishioners and benefactors, what was once an unused and barren wasteland behind the church has been transformed into a Marian sanctuary of beauty, colour, and light. A wheel-chair accessible elliptical sandstone path, with black granite beads marking out a Rosary on the path now forms the core of the new garden. Around this are five comfortable oak memorial benches, nestled between rose bushes and swaying foxgloves, where one can sit and contemplate and pray. In the heart of the garden, ringed by this path, is a bed of beautiful Marian flowers which surround five plaques illustrating the five Mysteries of Light. These plaques with scenes from Christ’s public ministry were made by the nuns of the Monastic Family of Bethlehem.
The focal point of the garden is a specially-commissioned statue of the Virgin Mary at Cana, whose lips are open to say: “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5) This elegant and serene statue was designed and sculpted by the Florentine sculptor, Cody Swanson.
The Luminous Mysteries Rosary Garden was opened and blessed on 24 May 2019, and it brings light and beauty to the lives of the local community, welcoming both passers-by on the busy path that runs alongside the garden, as well as pilgrims to the Shrine. Whatever one’s faith and religious beliefs, the Rosary Garden is open to all people.
http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page465.html.
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