An educator, priest, scout master or parent might wonder if anything they say to a young person in the course of a day registered. In the case of young men Damien Hughes and Brennan Jones, it clearly did.
The boys chose to honor their faith, their country and their scout troops by completing Eagle Scout projects.
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Jones, a 2026 graduate of Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans High School, and Hughes, class of 2027, chose to use their Eagle Scout projects to lift up their faith communities.
In Jones’ case, he used his time, talents and treasure to construct a sign board for the Saint Kateri Habitat located behind Bishop Rosecrans High School.
That board allowed us to promote St. Kateri Tekakwitha, our nationally registered St. Kateri Habitat and artwork by Gracie Morbitzer-Collins in her interpretation of St. Kateri. Jones cleaned up the habitat, laid down a weed mat and spread new gravel.
Also displayed on the sign board is the story of Thomas Gildow, a Bishop Rosecrans alum who was killed in Vietnam.
Hughes shared that his project began following a discussion with his uncle.
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In the course of the discussion, he and his uncle came to the conclusion that many veterans had nothing to honor their sacrifices. Hughes got the idea to build a memorial at Nashport St. Mary Church, located by the Mattingly Settlement Cemetery, in Muskingum County.
Reaching out to various organizations, Hughes found that he had many willing donors to help take his plans to completion. With help from his family, parents and scout troop, the completed project now sits in a calm area behind St. Mary Church.
