by The Leaven
LENEXA — In its continuing efforts to beautify the cemeteries it manages and with the support of a generous donation, Catholic Cemeteries of Northeast Kansas has added the new Our Lady of the Rosary Memorial at Resurrection Cemetery here, located at 83rd and Quivira.
Father Ken Kelly, past member of the Catholic Cemeteries board of trustees and pastor of St. Pius X Parish, Mission, blessed the memorial in early May.
The memorial and surrounding garden were made possible through the generosity of the Robert A. Brenner family. The Brenner family dedicated the memorial in remembrance of their mother, who had a deep devotion to the rosary.
Robert A. and Mary Ann (Kuzila) Brenner are both deceased and entombed in Queen of Peace Mausoleum at Resurrection Cemetery. The couple, who were members of St. Pius X, would have marked their 72nd wedding anniversary on May 1, the day the memorial was blessed.
The memorial, located west of the cemetery mausoleums, is accessible by a wooden footbridge that leads to the garden area. A wooden cross of Christ rises behind the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Two tall posts toward the outer edges of the memorial symbolize the crosses of the two men crucified with Christ. Completing the space are a wooden trellis for plantings and a brick plaza in front of the memorial.
Tom Waliczek built the wooden items and the foundation for the base of the statue. The statue and its base came from Johnson Granite Supply.
