The St. Agnes Garden Club was started approximately 30 years ago by Mary Namestka, who was the church’s Business Manager at the time. The purpose of the Garden Club is to assist with making the church grounds look beautiful, maintain and control weed growth, and to enjoy fellowship with other parishioners who have the same interest, “digging in the dirt.”
The club has approximately 62 men and women members ranging in age from 13 to 86. There are no normal meetings outside of our annual planting and mulching day that is always (almost always) the Saturday before Memorial Day (the last Saturday of May).
The time commitment of most members is what they can fit into their own schedules, but once they begin volunteering and experiencing the peacefulness of being at the church during off-hours and pulling weeds and or watering it doesn’t feel like commitment at all.
The Garden Club has an annual fundraiser where members assist in selling hanging baskets, potted Geraniums, and Gerbera Daisies after all Masses the weekend of Mother’s Day. The proceeds from this sale go toward the cost of mulching and planting around the church grounds. In March, when weather permits, we gather to do a spring cleanup (removing of all dead plants from the previous year). Planting the annual flowers and mulching is done the last Saturday of May (Saturday before Memorial Day). We gather as a group for this event. Throughout the summer, members will volunteer one week (3 to 4 days) to water and weed the plants we planted and areas we mulched on planting/mulching day. At the end of October, when weather permits, a small group of members work on Fall Cleanup.
The Garden Club also assembles 2 or 3 items to raffle off at the Saint Agnes Annual Bazaar including a lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, and many other gardening items. The proceeds from this raffle benefit the church as a whole.
The Garden Club can always use gift cards ($25 increments) from Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Busy Beaver to purchase tools, weed control, and other items. If you would like to donate a gift card or make a monetary donation, please place it in an envelope marked “Garden Club” and put it in the collection basket or send it to the parish office.
The Garden Club is always seeking new members. Michael and Eileen Paul are the chairpersons and recall when their children where younger working along side them with their plastic shovels and playing in the water. This is a great ministry for the whole family! To join the Garden Club, please call the church office at 724-863-2626 during business hours or email the church secretary at mditoppa@dioceseofgreensburg.org or email Eileen Paul at leen121@yahoo.com.