The Tobit Ministry

The Tobit Garden is a sacred space for visitors to encounter the personal story of each individual interred. It features two large scale beautiful bronze sculptures, the Homeless Jesus and St. Katharine Drexel, a stone and tile “Weeping Wall” waterfall, wooden benches and books of the stories and gospel mirroring of those interred.

In the year 2011, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit while reading the signs of the times, the desperate need for respectful and reverent care for the deceased children of God became clear. In the Bible, the Book of Tobit describes Tobit as one who would even interrupt his meal if the need to reverently bury the dead arose. Thus, a fundamental work of mercy in today’s world gave birth to The Tobit Ministry. Just as Scripture helps interpret the realities of today’s world; so, too, does Scripture unveil the hidden stories of those buried in The Tobit Garden. As visitors encounter the personal story of each individual alongside “their” Sacred Scripture story, the reality of their own stories already written into Scripture becomes plain.

Story is a critical element of The Tobit Ministry. Each person buried in The Tobit Garden has their story permanently engraved onto a metal page and inserted into a sacred book available for all visitors to read. It is juxtaposed with a Scripture story to be read alongside each person’s unique life story. The power of the story of those interred invites visitors to experience the God-given dignity of every human being – transforming the visitors and their perceptions of homelessness.