What happened to Mary's Garden?

On July 4, 2026 a storm tore through Middletown that wreaked havoc throughout the valley. Many residents sustained property damage and power outages. St. Thomas More Academy lost a few trees, one of which fell directly onto our Mary garden.

According to a Frederick News Post article written by Erik Anderson after the storm, “The area likely experienced a "microburst" event, a phenomenon in which "a narrow column of wind" can exert extreme force in an area of about 1 to 5 miles wide, according to Erik Taylor, a meteorologist with NWS Baltimore/Washington forecast office.” The article continued to report that “When the storm subsided, Chris Coda (an STMA neighbor) went to assess damage at St. Thomas More Academy, where his children go to school, and he found that a large tree had destroyed a small outdoor shrine to the Virgin Mary. The shrine's pedestal and surrounding benches had been broken, but the statue of Mary remained intact.

We would like to rebuild the space as a larger Rosary Garden featuring Mary in the center on a new pillar, and utilizing the existing commemorative bricks and new pavers, create a knee wall surrounding it for students to sit on. An inspiration photo is shown below. Additional bricks are needed. Will you help us by purchasing one or more commemorative bricks to rebuild STMA's Mary Garden?

Re-building STMA's Mary Garden