DECEMBER 2009

A visitor lights a memorial candle.
PHOTO BY RAMIZ ROMAYA
SPIRITUAL continued from page 27
time and getting in there when they
could.”
Milford-based Outdoor Accents,
which is owned by Mark and Rita
Garmo, was hired to put in the brick
pavers, then stayed on to install the
landscaping. “There are a variety of
perennials that bloom from spring to
fall, and fountain grasses, evergreens
and flowering shrubs with a lot of
color,” said Mark Garmo. “A lot of
people don’t realize how difficult
of an installation job this was, the
amount of concrete needed to waterand
weatherproof that live roof.
“In the next two to three years as
the plants really take root and fill the
space, it will make it look like the
grotto is carved right into the earth,”
he added. “It has a real nice harmonic
balance of spiritual and natural.”
The project was a labor of love for
countless volunteers, said Fr. Frank,
and many of the items, including
the statues and stained glass window,
were donated. Even the contractors
who were paid put in extra hours
above and beyond to ensure the grotto’s
success.
“It was a lot of people coming
together – parishioners, the parish
council, people donating their expertise,”
said Fr. Frank. “Those who
came and got involved saw something
bigger than themselves. They
didn’t get involved so they could get
their names in the paper. Even on
the day of the blessing they did not
want their names announced. It really
brings out the true meaning of
building a place like this.”
Indeed, several volunteers associated
with the project declined to
comment on the record to The Chaldean
News, saying they wanted their
good deeds to remain private. “It’s
in the spirit of Fr. Hanna [Cheikho],
who built St. Thomas without a single
public [donation] name,” said Fr.
Frank. “He started something and we
maintained that spirit of anonymity,
the feeling that I am doing something
without wanting to get credit
for it.”
‘It was a lot of people coming together — parishioners, the parish
council, people donating their expertise. Those who came and got
involved saw something bigger than themselves. They didn’t get
involved so they could get their names in the paper. It really brings out
the true meaning of building a place like this.” – FR. FRANK KALABAT
Dul, who is Catholic, said the
timing is good for such a structure.
“It means so much to everybody,” he
said. “Everyone has a lot to pray for
these days.”
Fr. Frank hopes to see many visitors
at the grotto. It’s a place, he said,
28 CHALDEAN NEWS DECEMBER 2009
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