Father Frederick Edlefsen, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Arlington, blessed and dedicated a new prayer garden devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 29, built by Jimmy Mazel for his Eagle Scout project.
Mazel led the construction over two weekends with a team of 38 volunteers, including both fellow Scouts and parishioners. In total, the team put in over 300 hours on the project.
The garden features a 52-inch Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, a concrete base for the statue, a 50-foot paver path, a bench, two crepe myrtle trees flanking the statue and bushes lining the path approaching the statue.
Mazel wanted this project to be a gift to the parish while reflecting his faith.
“This is my parish, I grew up here, have been an altar server since second grade here, was baptized, received my first Communion and was confirmed in this parish,” he said. “I wanted my Eagle project to be meaningful to me, to reflect my Catholic faith, to help the parish and to be something that will last for a long time.”
Inspired by previous projects at the parish, one of which was completed by his older brother, Mazel wanted to connect those previous devotional projects with his for those to see as they pass by 23rd Street every day.
The project was supported financially by the parish and the Knights of Columbus St. Joseph the Worker Council. “I couldn’t have done it without the Knights’ support,” Mazel said.
A recent graduate from Wakefield High School, he will attend George Mason University in Fairfax in the fall on a four-year ROTC Scholarship from the Virginia Army National Guard. He plans to major in criminology.
“It was amazing to see all my friends, family, and fellow scouts come out and help me, and to know that parishioners will enjoy it for years,” he said.
