2026 Catholic Schools Week Supplement
A garden reveals God’s creation and the fruits of a Catholic education
Jackie Chandler, the “Garden Lady,” helps children, including Marty Funk and Emelia Marshall, understand that everything that happens in the garden at Christ the King School in Indianapolis is rooted in the belief that God provides so much abundance for us in life. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
In the middle of winter, it may seem unusual to share the story of a garden and the woman who helps to bring it to life for children.
But this is the story of a garden at an archdiocesan school, a garden that overflows year-round—even when snow is on the ground—with the bountiful gifts that can blossom from a Catholic education.
Consider that the garden provides about 600 pounds of fresh produce every year, supplying tomatoes, squash, green beans and cucumbers for people in need—a gift that also teaches the school children to look out for others in kindness and empathy.
Consider also that while the children roam among the trees, the flower beds, the giant sunflowers and the chickens, they are also learning lessons about science, technology, engineering and math—the so-called STEM foundations of learning.
Now consider one more truth, the most important one: Everything in this garden and everything that is taught here is rooted in the belief that God provides so much abundance for us in life, and that we are called to take care of his creation and each other.
All these truths sprout to life in the garden at Christ the King School in Indianapolis, a place where joy, curiosity and wonder combine to form a wonderful bouquet of appreciation for nature, which is exactly what the Garden Lady—a parent volunteer also known as Jackie Chandler—strives to create for children.
Just understand that when Chandler starts to talk about the garden and the children, her enthusiasm, like one of those giant sunflowers, can’t be contained.
“Their sparked interest is so exciting for me and brings me so much joy in return,” she notes about the children. “My favorite thing is teaching these kids to be resourceful. We talk about water conservation, and reusing, repurposing and recycling items. We model caring for God’s Earth and all living things.
“We estimate in silly ways how tall a tree is, and we dig for worms. Seeing wonder through the students’ eyes is illuminating. Seeing the light come on inside of them about things they can do at home—or even on their own even though they are 5 to 10 years old—is miraculous.
“I am filled most with joy when I see the students in awe with soil testing, or with the stories I hear about students going home from garden class and making their own bug hotel in their backyard. And, oooh!, the excitement when they find a worm and run over to show me, knowing that earthworms are my favorite!”
Her joy and her smile are ever-present in the garden now. Yet the reality is that when she first came here, it was a soul-searching time for her, a time when her spirits and the spirits of our entire country felt as lifeless as a garden during a Midwestern winter.
“I found peace and purpose’
Back then, Chandler worked as a full-time nurse practitioner at an Indianapolis hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I need to let you know what brought me to gardening in the first place, as this has led me into volunteering as the Garden Lady,” she begins. “I started really getting into gardening just before the COVID pandemic hit. During a time of uncertainty and isolation, while working overtime caring for hospital employees during the pandemic, I found peace and purpose watching my little seedlings in my garage grow.
“At times, I had trouble connecting with my family, too, during that time, and being outside with my hands in the dirt gave me a sense of calm and connection that I didn’t even know I needed.”
That need stayed with her as she and her husband Mike searched for a school for their son Walter as he entered kindergarten. At the time, Christ the King School had started a garden under the direction of then-principal Ed Seib. Seeing the garden, the couple knew they had found their school home for Walter and a place of renewal for her.
“I really appreciated the school garden, equipped with real, live chickens and giant sunflowers,” Chandler recalls. “Around that time in my personal life, I went through my own ‘dark night of the soul.’
“We were a couple of years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and I think the trauma and secondary trauma of caring for health care employees hit me once the hustle and bustle of being in survival mode faded. I had time off from work for my own healing. And that same comfort I initially felt watching those seedlings grow in my garage was renewed, as I felt comfort and strength in caring for our school garden. It became a source of healing and hope for me.”
The garden also soon became a calling to help the students grow, and a way for her to serve God and help share his gifts of creation.
‘Caring for God’s great Earth’
“Over time, my love for the garden grew into a love for what it brings to our community, and it made me ponder what more it can provide for our kids as a place to learn, explore and see God’s hand in creation,” she says.
She met with Seib to share her plan for expanding the garden to 18 raised beds, one garden bed for each class at the school. She recruited her friend and fellow Christ the King mother, Annie Feeney, to help.
“Together, we spearheaded this adventure,” Chandler says. “Once transformed, we were excited to have the kids out in the space. I proposed classes with planned-out lesson plans, including STEM-based activities, to our current principal, Kortney Wenclewicz, and she approved. Not only that, the sign-up spots filled quickly with kindergarten through fourth-grade classes.
“I was honored—and still am—that they let the kids come learn with me in the garden. That first year, I figured the worst-case scenario was that the kids are outside in fresh air and playing in the dirt. Well, it turned out much greater than that. To see the kids learning about plants, trees, soil, being resourceful and caring for God’s great Earth has been such a joy to watch.”
The children share the same joy.
“In garden class, we get to plant our garden bed,” says Gemma Karpinski, a third-grade student. “The garden is so beautiful, and it’s so nice to have the plants and the birds. And it’s fun when we go on scavenger hunts as a group.”
Evan Mennel, a fellow third-grader, adds, “We get to do a lot of fun activities. We have books, and whatever we learn, we write about it.”
Both students also appreciate the opportunity to share the garden’s harvest with others.
“We get to pick tomatoes and cucumbers, and they go to the food pantry,” Evan says. “And the chickens lay eggs, and some go to the food pantry, too.”
When principal Wenclewicz views the garden, she sees it as a reflection of the difference that parent volunteers make and an opportunity for students to gain a close-up understanding of the world God has created.
“It has been a hands-on learning experience for our students to understand the importance of God’s creation,” she says. “The students and volunteers have been an integral part in building new raised beds, planting vegetables, weeding, and providing the grown produce to the local food pantry. Christ the King is very blessed to have this ecosystem on our campus to learn more about the world around us.”
Wenclewicz also shares this thought about Chandler.
“We rely on her expertise to continue to grow our garden and learn more about the animals, organisms and produce that live within this environment,” she says. “She is truly a remarkable addition to our school community.”
Seeing the world with wonder
Those thoughts touch Chandler, but the Garden Lady is quick to sow praise in all directions.
Besides making sure that Annie Feeney is acknowledged for all she does, she mentions the dad who built the chicken coop, the parents who provide the soil and the vegetable shoots, and the parents who volunteer in the garden classes when they can.
She sees all the efforts as an extension of the Catholic faith.
“The garden’s official name is the St. Isidore and St. Maria Garden,” Chandler notes. “They share the values and virtues of commitment to family, love for the land, service to the poor and a deep spirituality. Thinking [about] and doing for others gets us out of our own heads, worries and concerns.
“In classroom moments, we have taken a brief moment of pause and quiet to hear God’s greatest creation—birds chirping, wind blowing.”
The Garden Lady has especially felt the breath of God in her life.
“Though I have only been on God’s great Earth for 36 years, I have been given many second chances at life,” she says. “At times, I am quite surprised and feel very blessed to still be here. Feeling like I am on borrowed time drives my values and goals in life. This ‘Garden Lady’ chapter has been a beautiful adventure in my journey. I learn so much from the kids, and they remind me how to see the world with wonder.”
That wonder has led her to make a dramatic change in her life. She has left her hospital nursing job—“my dream job”—to become a part-time nurse at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, a change that allows her to devote even more time to the garden and the children.
“My rebellious teenage self—who was actually just riddled with fear—would never believe I would be working at a Catholic high school, or that I have become a member of a Catholic church and community. I am so grateful that my family and I are part of the caring and welcoming community at Christ the King.
“It is important for me to continue to cultivate this community that I have always longed for, and this continues to take root in the garden. Gardening and playing in the dirt have been very therapeutic for me—the outdoors is where I connect most personally with God. And maybe just one of those kids in garden class needs to play in the dirt, feel the sun on their cheeks or hear birds chirping that day in garden class.
“Maybe they won’t be able to put words to that need or understand how it helps them, but I hope to teach connection with the Earth, others, creatures, trees, flowers and God in the garden. And hopefully in turn, the students will later pass this on to others.”
It’s the humble prayer of the Garden Lady, a prayer rooted in the abundant goodness of God. †
