The St. Mark’s Columbarium

Planned and installed by one of the founding members and the Vestry, the St. Mark’s Columbarium was originally located on the west wall of the nave at the Vogel Street property. When the property sale was imminent, our Rector Mary Glover and Senior Warden Jay Bratton approached Heavenly Rest Episcopal Church about moving the Columbarium there. Their Rector, David Romanik, and the vestry welcomed the opportunity to share and support this ministry.  In July 2020, the St. Mark’s Columbarium was given a permanent placement on an interior wall of the Heavenly Rest parish building at 602 Meander. That building was the first permanent structure completed when Heavenly Rest moved to Meander Street in the late 1950s.

The St. Mark’s Columbarium remains under the oversight of the St. Mark’s vestry and has available niches for the inurnment of members, past and present, of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Reservation of niches, secured by a nominal administrative fee, can be arranged at any time. Requests for information can be made by contacting St. Mark’s at stmarks3150@gmail.com or by calling the church number, 325-261-1612. Arrangements for burial services and inurnment can be made by contacting the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

As a place of rest and prayer across from the Columbarium wall, St. Mark’s has placed a wooden choir pew that was saved from the chancel of the original Heavenly Rest Church, known as “the little stone church,” in downtown Abilene. Visiting the Columbarium can be arranged by contacting the office at Heavenly Rest, by phone at 325/677-2091 or in person during business hours.