It’s been a productive summer for the Church of the Holy Eucharist.
After a tremendous turnout for the Pine Barrens Festival in July, it recently received a new patio outside its café for fellowship and faith-sharing, courtesy of Tabernacle resident Jacob Boris.
Boris, a member of Tabernacle Boy Scout Troop 439 and junior at Seneca High School, decided to move forward with this idea as his Eagle Scout project more than a year ago.
“I knew I wanted to do a project that I could come back to in 20 years and have it still be there. I wanted something that was going to last and be beneficial to my community,” Boris said.
This area of the church ground was not being utilized at the time, so Boris asked the church what the plan was for the area after being told some of his peers thought it would be nice to have a prayer garden.
He met with Father Andrew Jamieson and Deacon Joseph Deluca in March 2014 to discuss different plans. Jamieson thought it would be a good idea to put in a patio for outdoor faith sharing and fellowship.
Boris knew this would be a tall task, but he was up for the challenge and committed to seeing it through.
“I was motivated to finish the project because I knew that it would benefit the church community, and I was also motivated by the idea of being an Eagle Scout and accomplishing a goal,” Boris said.
After extensive research and planning, Boris presented a proposal to the Church Building Committee on June 5, 2014. He also presented the proposal to the Tabernacle township construction office to ensure he met with Pinelands guidelines.
After gaining approval from the church and the township, Boris submitted his Eagle Scout project proposal to the Garden State Council for approval.
It was approved in August 2014.
“I knew the project was going to be quite expensive, so I needed to raise funds,” Boris said.
After collecting donations for door prizes, Boris planned his bowling night fundraiser.
In October 2014, he spoke at all the masses, collected donations from parishioners and sold bowling night tickets.
The bowling night event took place on Nov. 2, 2014, and it was very successful.
To collect the last of the money he needed to buy the supplies, Boris held a Krispy Kreme doughnut sale on May 3.
Boris took the money to purchase the supplies a month later but ran into a problem with the manufacturer.
“The original manufacturer no longer made circle kits that could be combined together, so I had to rework the plan,” Boris said.
The supplies would need to be returned and Boris would have to purchase new supplies. Preparation of the area finally kicked off in late June.
“Since I did not start the physical project until June, the plants in the garden had gotten quite large. I had to move 35 hydrangeas, eight azaleas and a tree,” Boris said.
These plants were replanted at different locations on the church property. After the plants and the existing river rocks were removed, the ground was dug out in preparation for the foundation layers of the patio. The area was made level and tamped down.
Luckily, Boris received the help of professional landscapers Will Murphy from Devlin Contractors, LLC and Brian Dixon from Allstate Construction. These men served as professional advisors, donating their time and expertise.
Next, the group put a layer of gravel and then a layer of sand, making sure each layer was level and tamped. They then laid the pavers in the large circular pattern, swept polymeric sand on the pavers and lastly put river rocks back around the outer edge of the patio for drainage.
After more than a year of planning, fundraising and lots of hard work, Boris completed his Eagle Scout project at the Church of the Holy Eucharist. The project was completed on Aug. 21 when Jamieson blessed the patio.
“Many hands and countless hours went into this project, which the parishioners of Holy Eucharist will be able to enjoy for many years to come,” Boris’ mother Janet said.
From start to finish, the project took about a year and a half.
“My favorite part of the project was when it was done. I saw how happy everyone was, and I fully realized how useful the patio will be to the church,” Boris said.
Boris is a long-time member of the Church of the Holy Eucharist and has been an altar server for more than five years.
He gets involved with several church-related events throughout the year. He is the teen chair of the “Kiddie Korner” event at the annual Pine Barrens Festival. He also assists St. Vincent DePaul and helps with the Interfaith Hospitality network, which provides meals to homeless families.
In his spare time, Boris serves as a lifeguard and is an avid bowler. He recently earned a spot at the Junior Gold Championship in Chicago held in July.
In his final two years of high school, he plans to focus on doing well academically and hopes to master his craft of bowling and potentially make a college team.
He will be having his board of review in September when he will be up to officially earn his Eagle Scout rank.
This has been a long time coming for Boris, and he is very excited to finally be able to call himself an Eagle Scout.
“From the beginning of entering Scouts as a Tiger in first grade, I knew I wanted to be an Eagle Scout,” Boris said.
