On the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, many Americans spent time reflecting on those events and remembering those who died. At St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Falls Church, they commemorated the anniversary by gathering people of all faiths and opening the doors to a new garden that will serve as a place to reflect on peace.

"The deepest dream of every human heart is peace," said Pauline Flynn, a counselor with Lumen Christi Counseling Center. "We dedicate this community peace garden as a place where all are welcome to come, sit and experience a piece of God."

Four faiths were represented at the peace garden dedication ceremony. Rev. Dr. C. Thomas Jackson, rector of St. Paul Episcopal Church in Bailey’s Crossroads, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of outreach for Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, Rev. Kathleen Klein Chesson, senior minister at First Christian Church, and Father Horace "Tuck" Grinnell, pastor of St. Anthony Parish, all in Falls Church, each gave a blessing in the method of their faith.

Revs. Jackson and Chesson both prayed to God for peace with inspiring words. Abdul-Malik addressed those gathered with the greeting used by the prophets of the Old Testament: "Assalamu alaikum," which means "Peace upon you."

The garden is open during normal church hours and everyone is welcome to visit. Its focal point is a large fountain. When planning the design, Architect Mario Pareja thought about how best to represent peace.

"Peace is fragile," he said. "It is something we have to work on constantly."

On this reflection, he chose to use glass on the fountain. Etched on the glass is the word "peace" in 87 different languages. The water spills onto the glass, over the sharp rocks beneath it and then returns to the source.

According to John Schmitt, the glass for the fountain arrived the day before the dedication ceremony and was installed earlier that day.

"This is one of my favorite jobs ever," said Schmitt, an independent landscape designer. He enjoyed coming back to work at his home parish and school.

Eleven peace poles line the path to the fountain. These were created by various community groups including several private and public schools, different religious affiliations and a youth group. Each pole is unique and designed with metaphors for peace.

"One column is missing, and that is you," said Pareja, adding that anyone who walks through the garden will be welcome at St. Anthony Parish.

"We’ll be inspired by these poles and their messages for years to come," said Flynn.

Two of the poles were created by the Art Club from Bailey’s Elementary School, located across the street from the church. Third- through eighth-graders helped on the project that was led by teacher Gus Guthrie. They chose to decorate ceramic tiles with images of peace.

Carla Galdo, former youth minister at St. Anthony Parish, helped the Hispanic youth group complete one of the poles. Galdo provided templates for them to copy, but she found that the best images were ones the kids came up with on their own.

Father Grinnell first had the idea for the garden five years ago. His original goal was to transform the space between the church and the parish center. The idea to make it a peace garden for the whole community did not come until much later in the process.

Everything in the garden "speaks to the glory of God," said Father Grinnell, who cut the ribbon on the gate to the garden. After the ribbon was cut, the crowd of more than 60 entered the garden in a candlelight procession.

"It took a lot of people," said Flynn. "Every contribution made it more and more wonderful."

Flynn thanked the many people who contributed to the garden in some way. From planning and fund raising to landscaping and decorating, many people were involved in this project.

"You can see it has divine inspiration and creativity from the human spirit," said Tom Stoner, co-founder of TKF Foundation that funded much of the project. "It is our hope that this peace garden will always be a part of this community."

There are several benches in the garden and inside one is a yellow journal. Anyone who enters the garden is invited to write a reflection in the journal. The TKF Foundation will collect the journal and post selected entries on their Web site.

"The garden is only bricks and shrubs and benches without the heart and soul of the people who will come here for reflection and peace," said Penny Gross, supervisor of the Mason District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She explained that the peace of the garden should travel with those who come and become part of their daily lives.

"Peace is possible," said Flynn. "It begins with a vision or dream and comes through persistence, hard work and belief in ourselves."