A new 720-niche columbarium is a natural extension of the prayerful atmosphere at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville. The columbarium’s architecture was inspired by the bucolic setting and features four semi-circular stone walls, each housing three rows of niches. (Below) The space also features a 12-foot-tall aluminum cross built by artist and sculptor Jim Gallucci. Stonemason Rosali Rivera, Father Louis Canino, and supporters Ann and Joe Bauer pose near the “Celestial Waterfall.” (Photos provided)STONEVILLE — In keeping with Franciscan spirituality, the mission of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center has been to nurture contemplation. The latest addition to the prayer and retreat center nestled on 140 wooded acres about 30 miles north of Greensboro is a columbarium designed with reflection on the gift of life in mind.
St. Francis Springs offers a serene setting for meditation, with outdoor prayer spaces including the San Damiano Glass Chapel, walking trails, a Stations of the Cross meditation, a labyrinth based on the winding walk at Chartres Cathedral in France, and a waterfall named “Celestial Waterfall” created by Franciscan Father Louis Canino and stonemason Rosali Rivera of Set in Builders in Stokesdale. The recently completed 720-niche columbarium is a natural extension of these spaces.
Through prayerful reflection, “it became very clear to me a columbarium would fit in perfectly with the prayer center,” said Father Canino, whose vision inspired the building and growth of St. Francis Springs over the past two decades. Father Canino retired from St. Francis Springs in 2018 to work full-time at the Franciscan Center in downtown Greensboro.
Board president and a longtime friend of Father Canino, Margaret Burnham, worked for more than two years to navigate state and local approvals for the columbarium. “It was truly a labor of love,” said Burnham. It took many attempts to gain permission from the Cemetery Commission, since N.C. statute states that only licensed funeral homes, governmental agencies or churches can have a columbarium on their property, she explained. As a retreat center, St. Francis Springs didn’t fit the traditional definition of a church, so Burnham said the process required concerted effort and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They ultimately carved out one acre and deeded it as the non-profit St. Francis Springs Columbarium and Memorial Garden Inc., fitted with its own access and unconnected to the property’s main building and mortgage. “It feels like holy ground,” Burnham said.
The expense of funerals and the rapidity with which parish columbarium niches have been selling out motivated Father Canino and the board to consider the addition. “It’s probably the most affordable option, and the setting is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen for a columbarium,” Father Canino said.
The architecture of the space was inspired by the bucolic setting of the retreat center. The columbarium is made up of four semi-circular stone walls, each housing three rows of niches. Rivera and his team gathered stone from the property, mixed it with rock from Tennessee and Pennsylvania, and then carefully placed every stone by hand.
“God made the stone on the land,” said Rivera, noting that gathering building material from the site was done as a sign of gratitude for the beauty of God’s creation.
Rivera has been instrumental in shaping the natural appeal of St. Francis Springs, said Joe Bauer of New Age Builders, who built the outdoor chapel as well as the property’s St. Clare and St. Francis cottages and served as a consultant to Rivera.
“Over the years, Rivera built the brick sidewalks, helped create all the walking trails in the woods and along the Stations of the Cross and now has completed the construction of the columbarium,” Bauer said.
Inspiration for the columbarium’s placement came from an existing 12-foot-tall, gold-coated aluminum cross built by artist and sculptor Jim Gallucci. “The cross is transparent, thus symbolizing there’s room for you to enter the cross and be a part of the cross,” Gallucci explained.
The response to having a place for loved ones in this natural sanctuary has been positive. “We have sold 100 out of 720 niches,” said St. Francis Springs’ director, Steve Swayne.
While the columbarium operates under Catholic guidelines, it is open to people of all faiths, providing a sacred place where families can memorialize their loved ones. The center hosts Catholic retreats as well as those conducted by other faiths.
“Over 20 years ago, I was invited by Father Louis Canino to join the original steering committee to pray for what Father Louis hoped was not his vision, but the will of God to build a prayer center for all based on the love and charism of St. Francis of Assisi,” said Kathy Conowall. Today, she said, it is evident that God’s vision for the space continues to be fulfilled.
— Georgianna Penn, Catholic News Herald
