HICKORY — Father Larry LoMonaco, pastor of St. Aloysius Parish, recently dedicated a Memorial Garden for the Unborn that sits on the side of the church’s original chapel.
“They put hundreds of crosses here in January, so I was looking at the blank space and looking at the crosses and thought this would make a great memorial for the unborn,” Father LoMonaco said.
So when Eagle Scout Isaac Nolte approached Father LoMonaco looking for a project, the idea crystalized.
“He built the pergola, the bench and the memorial structure,” Father LoMonaco said.
The garden features a granite gravestone quoting Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born, I consecrated you.”
Above the grave is a handcrafted white pergola with a rose bush already budding up the sides. In the middle sits a fountain, while a nearby sculpture depicts a 10-week fetus held in transparent palms attached to a red metal heart.
— Lisa M. Geraci