Armed Forces Honor Garden

CONTACT: philschoch@gmail.com (512-755- 9150)

In this photo, workers with Westway Custom Builders of Horseshoe Bay began
setting tiles for the Armed Forces Honor Garden water fountain
Monday, May 1, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. The parish
expects the entire garden to be completed later this month. Memorial
Stars, Plaques and Paving Stones are available for purchase by
anyone who wants to honor our military.

ARMED FORCES HONOR GARDEN CLOSE TO COMPLETION
Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Horseshoe Bay is close to
completing its Armed Forces Honor Garden, designed to recognize
those who have served in the Armed Forces or made the ultimate
sacrifice of giving their life for their country.

When completed, the garden will hold five water scuppers in a
fountain emblazoned with Memorial Stars, a restive area with
Memorial Plaques, and a walkway of Paving Stones.
The garden is located on the grounds of the church at 201 Dalton
Circle on Thanksgiving Mountain overlooking Lake LBJ and the
Horseshoe Bay Resort.

The church unveiled the ‘Lest We Forget’ statue of Jesus Christ
embracing a U.S. soldier in a ceremony on Flag Day, June 14, 2015,
launching the Catholic parish’s Armed Forces Honor Garden
initiative. The statue – along with the fountain – will be focal points of
the garden that surrounds them and is located in front of the Finn
Family Life Center, adjacent to the church. Construction for the
fountain and restive areas began earlier this year.

The parish is about $56,000 short of its $215,000 goal to build the
honor garden.

Landscape architect for the project is Studio | 16:19 of Round Rock.
Westway Custom Builders of Horseshoe Bay is the contractor for the
project. The Pogue Gallery in Marble Falls has been commissioned to
produce the Stars and Signs2Go is designing the Plaques.

The sale is underway of Memorial Stars honoring deceased military,
and Memorial Plaques honoring family and friends who have served.
Paving stones are also available to recognize the support of donors
to the garden project.

Forms for memorial messages for the Plaques and Stars are
available at St. Paul’s parish office (830-598- 8342) or by going to the
web site at http://stpaulshorseshoebay.org. The Memorial Stars are
priced at $250; 5x3 plaques at $200 or 15x5 plaques at $600; and
paving stones (15x3) at $150 each. Other memorial opportunities,
including scripture quotes, are available and those interested should
contact Father Ruben Patíño, CSP, at the parish office.

About the Armed Forces Honor Garden:
The idea for the memorial honor garden came from Father Patíño,
who as a teenager was a member of the American Junior GI Forum
in Corpus Christi, Texas. “Among my most poignant memories was
being invited to be part of an honor guard to welcome home fallen
American soldiers as they arrived at the airport and escort the bodies
to their families in the small rural towns of South Texas,” Fr. Patíño
said.

The “Lest We Forget” statue was donated to St. Paul’s by
parishioners Gary and Patty Broad. A U.S. Army veteran, Gary was
married to his wife Patty, originally from Canada, at St. Paul’s in June
2014. When he learned of the statue and that it was created by
sculptor Timothy Schmaltz, also from Canada, Broad considered it a
“sign” for him to make a donation of the work.

For Father Patíño, the garden and the statue are a significant sign in
our Christian beliefs: “I guess we can all find our own meaning to the
title of the statue but for me it is about forgiveness and gratitude.
“Forgiveness because, as Christians, we are taught to respect human
life; taking someone’s life goes against our beliefs. We can reconcile
the issue from a theological perspective but the human dimension is
another story.

“Somehow, we need to find peace with our lives and with our
compromises; this has been a concern for all veterans of war. The
statue evokes a feeling of gratitude, and the garden will provide a
peaceful place for us to pray for our loved ones who have served our
country loyally and contemplate how much we appreciate their valor
and their service and their sacrifice.”