Flags representing all branches of the U.S. military fluttered in the breeze as Sister Marlene Lehmkuhl, SCN, walked the newly poured concrete path of the future Bardstown-Nelson County Veterans Park. This path, soon to be lined with monuments and engraved bricks, will honor those who served in military conflicts — including around 100 Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.
Sister Marlene and SCN Archivist and Heritage Center Director Kelly McDaniels toured the construction site Thursday, meeting with park supporters Jerry and Joy Janes to review plans and preview what’s to come.
“This is amazing,” Sister Marlene remarked as she looked over the area that will feature bricks and monuments bearing the names of servicemen and women. Though the park is still under construction, the layout is already taking shape.
The pavilion at the new veterans park is under construction.
At the center of the site, a large stage platform will host public events and ceremonies. It overlooks a green space and what will become the memorial walkway, led by a striking 15-foot brass eternal flame statue. The park will also feature a pavilion and twelve granite monuments inscribed with the names of local veterans and a path of engraved bricks.
Around 100 of those bricks will honor SCNs who served as wartime nurses, missionaries, or caregivers in field hospitals. Their service spans from the Civil War through World War II and Vietnam. Many served during the Civil War, and five Sisters lost their lives to illnesses contracted while tending to soldiers.
Sister Marlene and Heritage Center Director Kelly McDaniels look over some of the plans for the Veterans Park with Joy Janes, at left.
Notable among those honored are Sister Mary Esther Morrissey, the only known SCN to serve in the Navy, and Sister Josella Conlin, who served in both the Spanish-American War and World War I. Their names will be featured among the enlisted on the monuments, and those of their fellow Sisters will be grouped together on the walkway.
Sister Marlene had been in contact with project organizers about recognizing the Catholic Sisters who served, and when Janses heard of the legacy of the SCNs, they knew their story was one to include. Thursday’s visit offered a meaningful look at what the park will offer the community: a space not only of military remembrance, but of Catholic witness and service through acts of mercy.