The idea for the Garden of Light came to me after my journey to Poland in 2003. During the tour I visited the concentration camp of Auschwitz. It was a very emotional experience for me and for many others who had been on the tour with me and who had family who had been survivors of the Holocaust.
Growing up I was very much aware of the Jewish Shoah. My father had been a Polish Catholic who had been a prisoner in a labor camp run by the German Nazi’s before escaping and finally immigrating to the United States in the early 50’s. As I grew into adulthood I was astonished to discover that close to three million Christians, most of them Roman Catholics had perished along with the three million Jews who had been exterminated during the Holocaust. I knew my father had been deeply affected by what he had experienced during the war, and as a child growing up with him and hearing his stories, it had deeply affected me. When I got older, I took it upon myself to truly understand what had happened during this cruel time in human history. I began researching how it affected our planet and above all how it is still affecting us today. During my research it was very eye opening to also learn that over 100 million people were killed in the last one hundred years and that the twentieth century was one of the bloodiest in human history.
In October of 2006 my friend, Sharon Sigler, and I, launched the Garden of Light Foundation to help raise money to build a small peace garden near Pope John Paul II’s birthplace which is only fifteen miles away from Auschwitz. Sharon was very much taken with my idea of creating a beautiful place where people could go to pay their respects and pray for peace after visiting the concentration camp. We both thought it was a wonderful idea to create the garden near the late Pope’s birthplace because as everyone knew he had worked tirelessly for peace and understanding among people.
Needless to say my vision has taken on new dimensions as I have spoken to people from around the world who love the idea of developing satellite peace gardens in their areas connected to the project to promote peace in their communities. At this stage of development we are now calling this project the International Peace Park and World Prayer Gardens, with the hope of incorporating a series of peace gardens representing each country from around the globe in a vision uniting the world in a planetary focus of peace.
As a way to honor the many survivors and families of those affected by the Holocaust and other wars that are still ongoing on our planet, we felt it was a wonderful idea to set aside an area in the park to allow individuals to express their hope for peace, both personal and universal, by contributing to the park on an individual basis, either by donating plants, or other memorials commemorating peace.
Other ideas have come to us, such as having representational monuments that would be dedicated to the many rescuers who risked their lives during the war in occupied Poland as well as pavers to commemorate the many families deeply affected by the conflict. Regardless of what country they are from the park would be a place where everyone is welcome to unite in the goal of building a monument to hope.
Above all, the park I believe is something Pope John Paul II would have wished to be “a universal place for all people on earth” to share their wishes for peace by uniting mankind in prayer and purpose in the act of working together. We believe by implementing this vision the world community would be participating in a global initiative that will continue to grow and expand and be around for our children and grandchildren for years to come.
Denise Jachimowicz Coughlin, Founder of the Garden of Light Foundations
Garden of Light Project 