A 15-year-old high school sophomore in Green has constructed a new outdoor shrine dedicated to St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, on the grounds of Queen of Heaven Catholic Church. The memorial, designed and built by Caleb Brooks, was developed to pay tribute to emergency service personnel as the nation marks the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The shrine was constructed as Caleb's Eagle Scout service project at the parish, which is located at 1800 Steese Road. The physical assembly of the structure took Caleb approximately 12 hours of labor to complete. With the installation of the St. Florian memorial, the church property now features a total of 15 shrines spread across its 18½-acre grounds.
Caleb, who is a sophomore at Green High School, presented the idea for the project directly to the church's senior pastor, the Rev. David Durkee, who granted approval. Caleb explained that his personal family background provided the primary inspiration for the project, noting that his father is an active firefighter and that he hopes to pursue the same career path in the future.
A Patriot Day prayer service has been scheduled at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church on Sept. 11 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. During this commemorative gathering, Rev. Durkee will conduct a formal blessing of the newly completed shrine in the presence of parishioners and community members.
The dedication of the shrine aligns with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, during which hijacked commercial aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and an open field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The coordinated attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,977 individuals.
Among the casualties of the 2001 attacks were 441 first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty. This included 343 New York City firefighters, 37 officers from the New York Port Authority, and 23 police officers from the New York City Police Department. While Caleb was not yet alive when the events occurred, his project serves as an enduring local tribute to first responders and their service.
The shrine is dedicated to St. Florian of Lorch, who is recognized in Catholic tradition as the patron saint of firefighters. In addition to emergency personnel, St. Florian is regarded as the patron saint of chimney sweeps, soap makers, barrel makers, brewers, the nation of Poland, and the city of Linz, Austria.
Born in present-day Austria in 250 A.D., Florian served as a commander within the Roman Army. During his military tenure, he was given the responsibility of organizing and instructing an elite contingent of Roman soldiers whose designated task was to combat fires.
During the era when Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the persecution of Christians, Florian openly defied commands to arrest believers and refused to burn their churches or offer sacrifices to traditional Roman deities. After publicly professing his Christian faith, Florian was beaten and condemned to die by fire at the stake in 304 A.D., though wary Roman soldiers ultimately executed him by tying a millstone around his neck and drowning him in the Enns River.
Following the execution, local Christians recovered Florian's body and interred his remains at an Augustinian monastery situated near Lorch. His remains were later transferred to a secondary location where the St. Florian Monastery was established and remains today. His feast day is observed annually on May 4, a date that also marks International Firefighters Day.
Caleb's father, Eric Brooks, has been a firefighter with the Stow Fire Department for 18 years. On Sept. 11, 2001, Eric was a chemical engineering student at the University of Akron and was beginning his second day of a co-op assignment at the Goodyear Polymer Center when he learned of the airliner strikes on the World Trade Center.
Eric, who also participated in scouting during his youth, originally enrolled in college courses related to firefighting before pursuing engineering. Although he was raised by his grandfather, who worked as a chemical engineer, Eric realized his vocational passion was centered on community service. He eventually secured a position with the Stow Fire Department after connecting with the department's chief, who was the father of a former high school classmate.
Caleb hopes to follow his father's vocational example by eventually joining the fire service himself. Within the scouting program, Caleb has earned 31 merit badges alongside four distinct Catholic religious awards: the Alteri Dei, Pope Pius XII, Parvuli Dei, and Pillars of Faith honors. The Pillars of Faith award represents a rare distinction achieved by only 2% of Catholic scouts.
Caleb is currently working toward completing all remaining requirements to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout before the end of the year. He stated that his ongoing commitment to service is rooted in a desire to provide direct aid and support to individuals facing their most challenging moments during emergencies.
Rev. Durkee, who is also an Eagle Scout, established Scout Troop 332 at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in 2002. Over the years, the parish-based troop has produced 60 Eagle Scouts. Rev. Durkee shared that his own religious vocation was heavily influenced by his youth Eagle Scout project, and he views scouting as a significant ministry and an effective avenue for sharing Gospel values.
Rev. Durkee commended Caleb for undertaking the project to enhance the parish grounds while paying tribute to emergency workers. The pastor also highlighted the parish's gratitude toward local personnel, observing that the municipal Green Fire Department station is situated just one minute away from the church property.
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