The St. Matthew’s Billye Taegel Krystow Memorial Garden occupies the northeast corner of the church campus. The idea of our Memorial Garden was conceived and proposed by James Newman. With his idea, planning, and a generous initial contribution from Henry Krystow, the Garden was built in 1997 and has since been expanded several times. It is very fitting to have our loved ones interred or memorialized on the church campus. Each niche can be used for interment of cremains, or as a memorial, or the ashes may be put in the Common Urn in the Garden.

We believe death is a beautiful transition in our walk with God. Our final resting place is with God. We invite you to take a contemplative walk through the memorial Garden and “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46). St. Matthew’s campus is growing and maturing as may our own lives grow in Christ. 

Niches and a common urn are available for the placement of ashes. The niches are faced with gray granite plaques. These spaces are available to church members and their families for a contribution. Each space is limited to one person. Plaques are also available to memorialize an individual. See the Memorial Garden Brochure for current prices.

The Memorial Garden also contains several serene and peaceful areas for prayer and meditation. The Kinney Memorial Chapel is an outdoor chapel with a wooden cross and wooden seating. Additionally, there is a grass area for gatherings, wide walkways, and seating for quiet meditation.

Remembrances Wall

In November 2015, the Vestry approved a proposal from the Memorial Garden Committee (MGC) to build a Remembrances Memorial Wall adjacent to the Common Urn slab. The wall provides spaces to mount tiles for memorializing loved ones.The 4″x8″ tiles allow two lines of text while 8″x8″ tiles allow four lines of text. Additionally, a line with the relevant dates is etched at the bottom of each tile. If you’d like to have ashes added to the Common Urn, a small additional fee applies. See the Memorial Garden Brochure for current prices.

For more information about contributions to the Garden or arrangements for spaces, please contact the church office at 512-345-8314 or email office@stmattsaustin.org.