Nyack People & Places

Nyack People & Places: Virtual Marydell Tree Lighting ––2021

Published

December 2, 2021

by Mike Hays

The Tree of Peace and Light.

For the last 16 years, Marydell Faith and Life Center, located at 640 N. Midland Ave. just beneath Hook Mountain, has held a special holiday lighting of the Tree of Peace and Light to celebrate world peace and to commemorate the lives of those who have been lost. Friends of Marydell gather for a special program of remembrance and peace, celebrating and sharing together in song, music, reflections, and peace prayers from all religions. The celebration would end after sunset with the lighting of a live tree. A candlelit walk leads to the tree. However, as with many events since the start of the pandemic, it is still not possible to safely gather together even at a time when our need for hope is great. The loss of fellowship and needed donations was so heartrending that a decision was made to offer the program virtually starting at 5p on December 4.

Sister Veronica.

“We have certainly seen our up ands downs this year” declares Sister Veronica of Marydell about 2021. Natural disasters and the loss of life from the pandemic in 2021 have been staggering. “During our lighting of the tree, we will be praying for all those affected by these events as well for the multitude of people suffering from the consequences of Covid-19. The celebration this year will be different, but it will happen.”

Marydell Faith & Life Center

Camp Marydell in the 1930s with a flag of 48 states on the Marydell front lawn. The house in the background is an 1800s farmhouse.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine formed in 1910 in NYC. In 1924, the sisters received a gift of 79 acres of farmland including a riverfront estate house once called Larchdell. The property stretched from the Hudson River to Rt. 9W and abutted Hook Mountain to the north. The sisters raised food for the poor on what was known as Save-A-Life Farm and they also began hosting summer camps for inner city children. Summer overnight and day camps continued for many years for all kinds of children, especially for those who had no experience of nature. Outdoor activities like hiking and walking, hayrides, craft making, and campfires were shared by thousands of children. The overnight summer camps are mostly a memory now, although other educational groups such as Strawtown Studio and One to One Learning use Marydell facilities today throughout the year.

The riverfront property was sold in the 1960s and in 2017, 30+ acres were transferred to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, becoming a part of Hook Mountain State Park and Rockland Lake State Park. Among other things, a new trail connecting Nyack Beach State Park and the Long Path to Hook Mountain will pass through the sister’s former land. Throughout their tenure continuing to this day the sister’s commitment to a green future is in itself a beacon of hope.

Today on 10+ acres, Marydell Faith and Life Center carries on the early tradition of the sisters by offering educational and recreational programs, spiritual retreats, and environmental encounters that reflect a belief in social justice and harmony.

The 2021 Children’s Garden

Students learn about monarchs in the Children’s Garden.

Getting children connected to the land and learning how food is grown has become a key mission at Marydell. According to board member Denise Oswald, “we knew kids needed to be in a garden, especially this year because of the pandemic. We watched children’s confidence and calm grow along with sunflowers and tomatoes.”

The Children’s Garden at Marydell is located near the historic 1920s Sears kit barn called Kateri Lodge. While other charitable gardening activities have been a long-term mission of Marydell, the Children’s Garden started almost by accident. A “fake” garden used as a location in the filming of the Hulu series, The Path, was converted to a children’s garden by Oswald and a team of volunteers in 2019. Kathy Rauth, a teacher and gardener, was brought in to lead small group sessions on how to plant and care for vegetables.

2021 Garden of Faith

For the last eleven years, an organic vegetable garden called the Garden of Faith has been planted at Marydell. Reminiscent of the Save-A-Life Farm from the 1920s, master gardener Janet Fenton has led a group of volunteers in raising vegetables for charity under the auspices of St. Ann’s Parish. Vegetables are picked throughout the growing season. In the middle of summer, baskets of tomatoes, bunches of greens, varieties of peppers, summer squash, and herbs galore are picked on Friday for distribution Saturday morning to those in need in Nyack at St. Ann’s Food Cupboard.

The Virtual Tree Lighting & Reflection Center

The program includes performances of Bach’s Celebrated Air by violinist Yong Kim and his wife, cellist Madelein Golz, and We Remember Them, adapted by Guitarist Jamie Rickert. The entire performance was filmed by Caroline Klepper in advance and will be live online at 5:00p on December 4 on Marydell’s You Tube channel

Marydell’s Reflection Center, a small cabin facing Hook Mountain near the Tree of Peace and Light and overlooking the Hudson River is available for personal reflection upon appointment by contacting Marydell. The Reflection Center contains placards of the those for whom tree lights have been lit and a centerpiece of a globe with world flags in memory of all those who have died across the world because of COVID-19.

As the emcee of the virtual performance, Sister Veronica states, “This is my second virtual performance and I am still not comfortable. Nonetheless, I am glad that technology allows us a way of doing our celebration. I am looking forward to the willing participation with more people than could gather in our Marydell dining room. Please join us on Dec. 4.”

Remembrance lights for loved ones may be reserved in advance with a small donation made either online at Marydell.org, using the QR code below, or by phone 845-358-5399.