The Maple Grove Christmas Box Angel of Hope located in the Maple Grove Arboretum, which is located just north of County Road 30 at 9400 Fernbook Lane. A grieving grandmother, Rosemarie Rosengren, donated the angel in memory of her grandson, Andrew. Rosemarie wanted to leave a memorial where other mourning parents and families could find a place of solace. This angel was dedicated on May 6, 2001.
The Christmas Box Angel of Hope is based on the best selling book The Christmas Box written by Richard Paul Evans. It is a story of a widow who mourns the loss of a child at the base of an angel monument and the young struggling family who moves in with her. Together they discover the precious gifts of life. Evans originally wrote this book as a gift for his family with no intentions of publishing it. As more and more family members read it and passed it on to others the demand grew, and today it has been read by millions of people throughout the world.
In response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to grieve and heal Richard Paul Evans commissioned an angel monument. A father and son from Salt Lake City, Utah, named Ortho and Jared Fairbanks, created the sculpture. The first Angel of Hope was dedicated December 6, 1994, corresponding with the date of the child’s death in The Christmas Box, in Salt Lake City. There are currently over 100 Christmas Box Angel’s in the United States.
Every December 6th at 7:00PM there is a candlelight healing ceremony held at all of the Christmas Box Angel’s all over the world. This is a simple non-denominational service where families can come together in remembrance of their child and lay white flowers at the base of the angel.
With the face of a child with arms raised up as a child waiting to be lifted, the Christmas Box Angel provides a place for grieving parents to visit. This memorial stands as a symbol of hope and healing for all parents and families who have experienced the death of a child of any age. Look closely at the angel’s wing and see “HOPE”.