Eagle Scout candidate builds St. Luke Shrine at Queen of Heaven Church

On a warm July morning, eight volunteers, including Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts from Troop 334, gathered at Queen of Heaven Church to begin work on the St. Luke Shrine — the Eagle Scout project of 15-year-old Luke Alexander Moorhead.

Moorhead, a Lake High School sophomore, soccer player, and marching band percussionist, has been active in scouting since age 7, progressing from Cub Scout Pack 3334 to Troop 334. He will be the fourth Eagle Scout in his family, with parents Brandy and Mark Moorhead supporting his work.

Working with Pastor and fellow Eagle Scout Rev. David R. Durkee, Moorhead helped design and plan the shrine’s layout behind the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel on the church’s wooded grounds. The project includes a 43-foot concrete walkway leading to a circular shrine area, bordered by limestone and quarry rock. Ten posts line the path, each displaying one of the joyful mysteries from St. Luke’s gospel, illuminated by LED lighting that turns on at dusk.

The shrine features an engraved stone marking it as Moorhead’s 2025 Eagle project and a handcrafted statue of St. Luke from Argentina, donated by an anonymous benefactor. The statue was blessed Oct. 19 by Rev. James R. Semonin, with Pastor Durkee and Deacon Steve Makara assisting during the ceremony attended by Moorhead and his family.

Pastor Durkee said the shrine joins many other Eagle Scout projects on the church’s 17-acre property. “These projects were built for all to experience peace, joy, and happiness on holy ground and provide a refuge — a quiet place to pray and feel comforted,” he said.