Joey Connelly, 15, created a walking rosary at St. Dominic Parish in Brookfield as his Eagle Scout service project. (Submitted photo)
In October, parishioners from St. Dominic in Brookfield celebrated completion of an outdoor walking rosary on their parish grounds, which was created and constructed by parish member Joey Connelly for his Eagle Scout project.
Fifteen-year-old Connelly, a lifelong member of St. Dominic, began planning the project more than a year ago, with the intent of providing another avenue for prayer in the parish’s existing prayer garden, which centers around a statue of the church’s patron saint.
“St. Dominic Parish has always been a part of my life, and I wanted to give back to the community that gave so much to me,” Connelly said. He attended St. Dominic’s school from 3K through eighth grade and participates in Mass as an altar server as well.
“My faith is important to me. In a busy, stressful world, going to church is a place to sit and relax with God,” Connelly said.
After evaluating several options to expand the garden, Connelly decided a walking rosary with paver stones for beads was a natural choice, given St. Dominic’s traditional association with the Rosary.
Over the course of several months, he consulted with the parish landscaper, chose stones to complement the church’s exterior color scheme, finalized a layout using drone photos to plot the stones, and negotiated discounted pricing from a local stone supplier.
He presented his project plan to Michael Ricci, managing director of St. Dominic Parish, in early spring and received approval from parish leadership shortly thereafter.
The rosary stones were installed in August, with Connelly overseeing the work of 25 volunteers. He estimates the project took about 100 hours in total, from conception to completion. To fund the project, Connelly used money raised through his troop’s annual winter fundraisers.
“Joey was well prepared, from idea to finished project, and had the ability to share his vision,” Ricci said. “During installation, Joey led a team of scouts and adults, explaining the project and its purpose. Helpers were given their charge, and Joey ensured the work was done to his standard, adjusting stones to ensure the best circle given our space.”
The project was blessed by Fr. Dennis Saran and Fr. David Sweeney on Oct. 11, coinciding with the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on Oct. 7.
The installation includes pamphlets containing the Rosary’s history, mysteries and prayers, designed by Connelly with help from his mother. He says he gained even more appreciation for the Rosary after researching its origins and spending significant time finalizing the layout, colors and ideal spacing for the different prayer stones.
Ricci said parish center staff recently prayed the Walking Rosary during their monthly prayer time, and other groups and individuals have also used it.
“The walking rosary will be a blessing for decades to come,” Ricci said. “Surrounding the statue of St. Dominic, often credited with receiving the rosary from the Blessed Virgin Mary, the rosary fits our peaceful and serene prayer garden space physically and spiritually and is a wonderful spiritual enhancement to our campus.”
An aerial view shows the new walking rosary surrounding the statue of St. Dominic in the parish’s prayer garden. The project was completed in August and blessed Oct. 11. (Submitted photo)
Connelly’s father, Jim, said he believes Connelly is just beginning to realize the significance of the project to the church community. “I believe it will take several years before he’ll fully grasp the impact he’s made.”
Since submitting his Eagle Scout project report, Connelly is now waiting for his board of review to be scheduled. He hopes to receive his Eagle Scout medal in January during the troop’s annual court of honor.
J. Scott Gibson, Troop 71 scoutmaster, said Connelly is a strong leader in the 33-member scout-led troop, which has included numerous boys who completed Eagle Scout projects to benefit the three Catholic parishes in Brookfield. “I have watched Joey grow from a wide-eyed preteen into a leader respected by every single member of this troop. In fact, troop members unanimously voted for him to become senior patrol leader just a few weeks ago. He is the latest in a line of several senior patrol leaders that have been members of St. Dominic’s and is leading the troop in addition to his many school activities. Joey is an amazing young man.”
Although his Eagle Scout board of review is still pending, Connelly is already seeing the impact of his work as parishioners use the walking rosary for prayer.
“Many people have told me how amazing and cool the walking rosary is,” he said. “It means a lot that I can do something that has such an impact on this community.”
