The Orthodox Cemetery project began in 1997 when a request was made to the management of Resurrection Catholic Cemetery to have a section of land to use for the burial of the Orthodox faithful. An active dialogue ensued which included many of the Orthodox Priests in Central Ohio. While no Orthodox Church is solely responsible for this effort, St. Gregory Clergy and Parish remain constant and visible supporters.
Through the generosity of many, the land was donated, surveyed, soil brought in and grass planted. The landscaping was also a gift to the cemetery. Once the markers were in place, the nearly 1,000 grave section was complete and on July 31, 2004 His Grace Archbishop Job of the Orthodox Church in America along with several priests from the central Ohio Orthodox community, blessed the land and the section was named, the Garden of the Holy Myrrhbearers.
Immediately after this blessing a project began to design a feature to mark the section. Once the design of an Orthodox Cross was agreed upon donations and fundraisers were held to cover the $14,400 cost of the cross. In the spring of 2006 the cross was erected and on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women a Memorial Service was held.
On September 23, 2006 the cross was blessed by His Grace Bishop Mark of the Antiochian Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. This day saw the culmination of nearly ten years of effort on behalf of a few women from the Orthodox Community who have lost love ones and wanted to have a cemetery for all the Orthodox Faithful. The section is aptly named for the Myrrhbearing Women.
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