Ann Marie Lawler

Ann Marie was born and raised in Baltimore with multi-generational ties to Baltimore and central Virginia where her relatives farm property that has been in the family since the late 1700s. Ann Marie worked at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for more than 30 years in various laboratory positions.

As a volunteer at the Cathedral of Incarnation, she is involved with buildings and grounds matters at the Cathedral and at St. Luke’s church in west Baltimore. Over the past few years, Ann Marie’s attention has focused on the impact of water on buildings and grounds in Baltimore and Virginia. She is learning about ways to mitigate water damage to buildings and improve natural habitats that benefit people, wildlife and the Chesapeake Bay.

I grew up in a neighborhood with walking access to the Gwynns Falls and spent lots of time with friends in “the woods”. Nature always felt like a safe place for me. Preserving natural areas has been important throughout my life and one way to help protect natural areas is to make urban areas more livable with safe outdoor green spaces.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation has about 3 acres of open space in a heavily populated area that borders several distinct and diverse neighborhoods including a university and adjacent apartment housing. The Sacred Place on the grounds invites neighbors and community members into a space for reflection and a chance to inhale the calming and powerful forces of Nature, and to listen for inspiration.