The Monastic Residence and Garden of Memories

Return to the driveway and head north towards the large white house with a blue roof. This is the Monastic Residence, which is not open to the public. The founders of Starcross live in this home, which they built in 1996. The rose garden and fountain behind the house are favorite spots for birds. 

Continue on the path around the house as it turns right. Ahead of you lies a little valley scattered with fruit trees. Some of these trees are more than a hundred years old. This area is called the Garden of Memories. Inscriptions on the redwood posts mark the graves of family members and friends, many of whom died in the AIDS pandemic.

In 1981, the first cases of AIDS were reported. Soon, millions had been affected by the virus and it became a global pandemic. Before proper medicines were developed, many children were contracting the disease from their mothers and were left without much hope of surviving past their first few years of life. After seeing a news report on the living conditions some of these children were experiencing, we here at Starcross decided we could help.

We began taking in children affected by AIDS, caring for them, and giving them a loving home, as well as the medical care they needed. We expanded our efforts into Romania and Uganda after learning of huge numbers of children in need in those countries, as well.