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Happening ... in the Local Church
 Sacred
Heart, Remington, parishioner Tyler Faker carried out the idea of the
new monument as his Eagle Scout project. (Photo provided) |
By Caroline B. Mooney
The
Catholic Moment
REMINGTON — Thanks to an Eagle Scout project, Sacred Heart Church has a new monument.
Construction of the church building began in 1891 and ended in 1901. Sitting atop the steeple was a gilded cross on a ball, approximately 12 feet tall.
The cross and ball were damaged in a hailstorm on Good Friday 2006. They were deemed total losses by the church’s insurance company, so a new cross and ball were installed that same year.
Father Thomas Fox, pastor of Sacred Heart, said the originals were inadvertently thrown on a scrap pile during cleanup after the storm.
“When we got them back, they were in pretty bad shape,” he said. “Insurance wouldn’t pay for the entire cost of a new cross because some of the damage to the old one was due to it being on top of the steeple for 108 years. It had to take quite a beating over time.”
In 2009, the new cross had to be re-gilded. While that work was being done, a parishioner refurbished the old cross and ball.
“I
thought the cross should be given a place of honor or remembrance,” Father
Fox said. “The parishioner who worked on it filled in gaps, soldered it back
together and painted it gold.”
Tyler Faker, a member of Sacred Heart and high school senior, heard about the monument idea when he was trying to plan his Eagle Scout project. Eagle Scout is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program and requires earning at least 21 merit badges and completing an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages.
“Making the monument sounded like something that was not beyond my capabilities,” Faker said.
First, he had to develop and present a plan to the Boy Scout council.
“It was approved on Oct. 9 and I started working right away,” he said. “Every day after school, I went to the church to work on it. I had help from friends, my parents and my grandfather.”
The monument sits on a poured concrete pad that Faker framed with help from his father. A local company donated the concrete. A post was sunk in the middle to hold the cross and ball, and sod had to be dug up around the concrete for landscaping. Landscaping fabric was laid around the concrete with decorative rock poured on top.
Faker dug post holes for a wrought iron fence that encloses the monument. It resembles fencing that is seen around old church graveyards, and was specially ordered.
“I did a lot of work in a hurry and then had to wait for the fencing to come in,” he said.
To pay for the fence, Faker, with help from his mother, Tracie, came up with the idea of holding a raffle.
Tickets were sold to win a day of Faker’s labor doing chores at an individual’s home. The raffle netted $500, which paid for the fence and the landscaping expenses.
The weather didn’t always cooperate. Faker and a friend had to install the fence corner posts in freezing rain. One section of fence was left off so the cross and ball could be installed.
An 8-foot tall wooden sleeve was built around the post that holds the cross. But workers found the sleeve was too wide, so some last- minute sanding was needed.
“It was no easy task,” Faker said. “Even standing in a truck bed, I couldn’t reach the top of the cross while sliding it onto the post, so it was hard to get it on.
“I’m kind of impressed with the way it looks,” he said. “The proportions seem good, and I like the way the fence turned out. Everybody who sees it seems to like it, and I’ve gotten some nice comments from people at church. The cross is so old and big it seems to surprise people when they see it.
“It’s one of the more public things I have worked on,” he said. “It is getting a lot of attention. I didn’t realize it would be this big of a project when I started. Most of the work involved wasn’t too foreign to me.”
“I’m pretty proud of him,” said Tyler’s father, Mike Faker. “This was a big project for a kid his age, but he had some help from friends and other Scouts. My dad and I helped with some of the planning and snags along the way. The greatest thing about the project was the leadership and organizational skills he used in getting it done.”
“Tyler took this on and it looks very nice. It’s very impressive,” Father Fox said.
“I’m very proud of Tyler. He’s done a good job on this,” said his grandfather, Keith Faker, also a member of Sacred Heart. “He worked out there in the snow, cold wind and the mud. He probably got discouraged at times, but I’m proud that he stuck with it. I’m proud of him; he’s a good grandson. The monument looks great — it’s very impressive.”
The monument, completed Dec. 21, stands between the church and the rectory.
Two plaques will be installed, one telling the monument’s history and the other a memorial plaque in honor of deceased relatives of monument workers. A landscaped area with a bench in front of the monument also is planned.