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From Colorado to Rome: How My Eagle Scout Project Drew the Attention of Pope Benedict XVI

Robert St. John Schreier
Alexander Dawson School
Lafayette, Colorado

I became an Eagle Scout in my freshman year at Alexander Dawson School. The rank of Eagle Scout is a coveted rank, and it is the highest rank in all of Scouting. It is a difficult, long process requiring several years, many rank advancement steps and, finally, the completion of a massive community service project. I chose for my Eagle Scout project the complete renovation of approximately 2-1/2 acres of outside landscaping at my church, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, located near my school in Boulder, Colorado.

What was intriguing about my project was the participation of a Jewish congregation, Pardes Levavot, which had recently moved into our building to share the sacred worship space with my Lutheran church. To my knowledge, this was the first time a Lutheran church in the Rocky Mountain West had hosted a Jewish congregation as a religious-spiritual partner. My Eagle Scout project involved several volunteers and called upon the cooperation of both Christians and Jews in the completion of it.

My project consumed over 2-1/2 months, costing nearly $22,000. It was featured in the local press and throughout the region. It was noteworthy because of its comprehensiveness and complexity. More than 100 volunteers contributed over 1,000 hours of community service. As an Eagle Scout candidate, my job was to lead the entire project.

I completed my Eagle Scout Service Project and was awarded my Eagle Scout rank during my freshman year in high school. Little did I know that that was not the end of the line for the project and that the culmination of that project would lead straight to the Vatican.

Fast forward to the spring of my sophomore year in high school. During the spring of 2006, I was privileged to serve as a foreign exchange student, representing my school in Switzerland in the French speaking region of Gymnase de Burier. I spent 10 weeks with a French-speaking family at a French-speaking high school. During that time my parents visited me.

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