After six long years of prayer and planning, the Gardens at St. Patrick’s will officially open to the public next month, following a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 1. The ceremony, attended by local and national leaders alike, featured a short program and blessing by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, followed by a Mass service on site.
The site is owned by Jerry Lundergan, a businessman and former state Democratic chairman who was raised, baptized and married at St. Patrick’s Church in Maysville and attended St. Patrick School. Although he now lives in Lexington, Lundergan is still heavily involved with Maysville’s community, owning the National Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) headquarters and Caproni’s restaurant, as well as the Clydesdale horses that appear in the annual downtown Christmas parade.
Most significantly, he has made an effort to give back to the church that welcomed him in his youth.
Lundergan’s Garden of Gethsemane is inspired by the garden of the same name that appears in the New Testament of the Bible, where Jesus Christ prayed before his arrest and crucifixion under the ruling of Pontius Pilate. The six-acre garden features a path that winds around life-size bronze statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, the events leading up to the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus, as described in the Bible. At the top of the hill, near the welcome center, a seven-story steel cross stands above the garden, reflecting sunlight onto Station 12 — the crucifixion — during the Easter season.
Admission to the garden will be minimal, and Lundergan has stated that all proceeds and donations will support the St. Patrick’s church and school.
On Wednesday, Lundergan thanked friends Betty and Joe Vetto, contractor Dan Graves, designer and landscape architect John Carman, construction leader Dan Graves, sculptor Reto Demetz and the St. Patrick’s clergy for their assistance and contributions to the project.
Also present at the ceremony were 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton, 72nd Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, former University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, former Bishop of the Diocese of Covington Roger Foys, current Bishop of the Diocese of Covington John Iffert and former Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan.
The program was led by Maysville Main Street Director Caroline Reece, who, after giving introductory remarks, called up Mason County Judge-Executive Owen McNeill to discuss the economic impact of the garden.
“Today’s ceremony is more than a ribbon cutting. It’s the beginning of something meaningful for our community, our economy and for all who will visit, seeking reflection, inspiration and connection,” McNeill stated. “Projects like this remind us that faith, history, quality of place are incredibly powerful forces. When they come together with vision and dedication, they create destinations that draw people from near and far.”
McNeill noted the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Ky. and the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. as other examples of successful religious tourism, expressing his belief that the Gardens will bring visitors to Maysville, which will then benefit local businesses and create job opportunities.
“But beyond the dollars and cents,” he continued, “places like the Gardens of St. Patrick’s offer something even more lasting. They provide a space for peace in a busy world, a place for families to gather, for traditions to be honored and for new memories to be made. They invite people to slow down, reflect and reconnect with their faith, with nature and with one another. That combination — economic growth and human connection — is what makes this project so special.”
Reece then introduced Maysville Mayor Debra Cotterill, who thanked the construction crews for working during the winter storms earlier this year to ensure the Gardens could open on time.
She also spoke about the Gardens’ impact on Maysville, citing “First, the blessing of inspiration the Gardens and the exquisite works of art will provide for everyone that visits. Secondly, the blessing of what it means to the parish, and the sustainability it will provide for our church, school, the cemetery and for all of Maysville.”
During his address, Bishop Iffert encouraged the garden’s visitors to embrace the teachings of Jesus, to love and to serve others through compassion and charity, while Cardinal Dolan asked visitors to examine the statues of Jesus with the cross and understand that His struggles were not above those of humanity.
“We have a condition,” said Bishop Iffert. “We speak of that as those who are baptized into Jesus being called to live as alter Christus, other in Christ, right? After his pattern, in his style of being, loving the people he loves, learning to live sacrificially as He lives. This is what a garden like this is about. This is what the Stations of the Cross are about, inviting us to walk — literally — the path of Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at, but rather, emptied himself out, becoming human like one of us.”
Throughout the construction process, Lundergan has repeatedly expressed that the Gardens are not open only to Catholics, but rather, to everyone, regardless of denomination or faith.
On Wednesday, he reiterated, “This garden is from all of us Lundergans to you. Every person that lives in the city of Maysville or the surrounding area, no matter if you’re Catholic, Protestant, Christian, whatever — as long as you breathe in the Lord, in what he did for us, this is your garden.”
The Garden’s visitor’s booklet continues, “As you walk these paths — through Gethsemane, along the Stations of the Cross, and beneath the shadow of the Cross — may you find peace. May you feel the presence of Christ in a personal and powerful way. And may this journey renew your faith, offering hope, healing, and grace.
“Thank you for joining us during this Holy Week. It is our great honor to share this sacred place with you. May God bless you and those you love.”
The Gardens at St. Patrick’s have conducted additional services during Holy Week, concluding with an Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, April 5 at 8 a.m., led by Fr. Jim Sichko, a Papal Missionary of Mercy.
The Gardens will officially open to the public on Tuesday, May 12 at 11 a.m. Visit https://www.gardensatstpatricks.com for more information.
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