Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor; an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution.

The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings. In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).

More information on Valentine’s Day can be found at the following link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day.

You’re warmly invited to our new monthly gathering at the cemetery.

 4th Saturday Garden & Gather.

Hello Our Lady families,

Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery is welcoming families to come enjoy the gardens, forests, pond, and our gorgeous trail, the St. Francis Walk. Our caregivers have put in a lot of time beautifying this area over the winter season, and we would love for you to come enjoy it.

WHEN:

Saturday, February 28 (4th Saturday)

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (come and go anytime)

February theme: Prep & Refresh

Since it’s still early in the season, February will focus on gentle prep and cleanup — light tidying, weeding, edging, and getting spaces ready for spring planting (rather than extensive new planting).

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Gather & Tend (drop-in)

This is an opportunity for families to:

• Work in their loved one’s space (within our guidelines)
• Grow our sense of community
• Have access to the cemetery caregiver team — Leo, Brian, and Sophia — for a hand, guidance, or to borrow a gardening tool

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Optional Volunteer Project (sign-up on site)

We’ll have an optional sign-up sheet by the Entrance Kiosk and Map for anyone who would like to help make the St. Francis Walk even more beautiful and accessible by spreading mulch on the trail. 

If you wish to volunteer, please bring rakes and gloves.

Come meet other families in our community, prepare your garden for the upcoming spring season, and join us for a group project.

Gentle reminder: Guidelines for how spaces can be decorated and gardened are below. We kindly ask families to honor these guidelines, so our gardens remain natural, beautiful, and safe for all.

Sophia Buchanan

Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery & Prayer Gardens

214-934-2432 cell

https://olotr.com/

Guidelines for a Beautiful Vision

Your loved one is resting in place of natural beauty. The grounds at Our Lady of the Rosary mirror the seasons—winter’s rest, spring’s beginnings, summer’s light, and autumn’s turning—honoring the cycles of life. To preserve this place for all and prevent damage during grave openings and closings, please follow these guidelines.

Not allowed

• Borders (including plants/flowers), except in the Forest Garden where borders are allowed

• Rocks, solar lights, yard art (spinners, globes, flags, etc.)

• Shepherd hooks of any size, hanging baskets, wind-chimes

   - Wind-chimes are allowed in the Baby Gardens and in trees surrounding the cemetery

• Astroturf, plastic of any kind, metal decorations, except OLORC-approved metal used as markers

• Glass items of any kind (including flower vases) Silk flowers, candles, toys, clothing, caps, shoes, gloves, balls

• Beer cans, soda bottles, liquor/wine/champagne bottles

• Planting of trees or miniature fir trees; bushes or giant-species flowers

Size and placement

• Plants/flowers may be about 18 inches high and Mulch may be up to about 4 inches high

Seasonal exceptions

• Funeral wreaths and stands are welcome for services and are removed once arrangements have wilted

• Small live fir trees in containers are welcome in December and are removed after the Epiphany on Jan 6

    - Fir trees can be donated to the cemetery for planting around the grounds

• Christmas wreaths are welcome in December and are removed after the Epiphany on January 6

• Easter wreaths are welcome and will be removed one week after Easter Sunday

Birthdays

• Celebrate at the picnic area by the pond, down the path to the left of the KIOSK Information Board

• Helium “Happy Birthday” balloons are welcome on the birth date and will be removed once deflated

Need help or have concerns? Contact us for approval or special requests before placing decorations.

Phone: 512.863.8411 Email: carolyn.king@olotr.com

Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery and Prayer Gardens is a special place of peace, beauty, reverence and unity. The Cemetery offers a number of burial rites including traditional burial, green burial and cremation burial. We work directly with families and funeral homes in Austin and the surrounding areas to ensure that the burial service for your loved one is handled in the most caring and compassionate way.

The cemetery welcomes individuals of all faiths from the Austin area and beyond. Whether you are in a time of need or planning for the future, the caring staff at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery is waiting to walk by your side.

Learn more about Our Lady at www.olotr.com

Cemetery: 330 Berry Lane, Georgetown, TX 78626

Office: 431 Berry Lane, Georgetown, TX 78626

512.863.8411 office | 737.444.5234 cell