Ingrained service

Woodworking requires patience, the necessary tools, know-how, and the will to create and shape. The same can be said about dedicated Catholics eager to live a life of service.

Paul Summers demonstrates these qualities while he works on his current project, a jewelry box for Jackson's Immaculate Conception Church auction in April. It is just one of the many woodworking projects he volunteers to undertake for churches and organizations in the community.

The jewelry box is several rows high, with drawers as small as four inches. The tiny drawers and joints make for a time-consuming project

"If I had to charge for it, you couldn't buy it," said Summers. "But I don't, so it's not an issue."

Summers has made a dozen of these intricate jewelry boxes, most of them gifts for family members, but this will be his fourth for various auctions.

Ever since Summers retired in 1994 from the National Guard as a command sergeant major, his interest in woodworking has had time to develop into a hobby.

Summers has filled his time volunteering by incorporating his knowledge and interest in woodworking with his dedication to the church.

His first project was a credence table for St. Mary's Cathedral. And the jobs have kept on coming. His handiwork can be found locally in the Notre Dame Regional High School chapel and as far away as Malden.

"He does an excellent job, and the nice thing about it is that he has a deep understanding of all the significance of his work," the Rev. Tom Kiefner said of Summer's work at St. Mary's.

Understanding the purpose of each of his projects is a result of his lifetime Catholicism. Summers has been a member at St. Mary's since 1959, and before that he belonged to Immaculate Conception in Jackson, which was his parents' church.

Starting with Mass

His dedication to his faith can be seen every morning at 6 a.m. when he starts his day off with a cup of coffee and attends Mass. This routine has been the same for decades, even when he worked full time for the National Guard.

"Our religion has always been the basis of our marriage," said his wife, Dorothy, who was baptized at St. Mary's and attends Mass with her husband every morning.

She believes his dedication to helping others is a living example of the Catholic faith and an inspiration to everyone around him, a characteristic long in the making.

"He is the second oldest of eight children and he's used to not getting everything and helping out with others in the family," she said.

That is why when Summers is not in his workshop, he is volunteering with programs such as Meals on Wheels, the Knights of Columbus, and the Pachyderm Club, which teaches young individuals about the current world of politics in hopes of developing future leaders in the Republican Party.

"I take pride in my work whether it's for the church or for an individual. I strive for perfection," said Summers.

But perfection requires time. Summers spends his days working in his basement shop. The baptismal font he recently built for St. Mary's took more than 100 hours of work to complete. The design was not simple, as it involved detail routing, gold leaf painting, and a light blue coat of paint chosen to match the church's interior.

Other coordinating projects included candle holders, a holy water font, a small table, and ambry -- a holder for the holy oils. The newest addition is the large Easter candle holder that made an appearance at the Saturday service before Easter.

"Church work is a little different than normal furniture. There you have to go with a theme in the church or try to maintain the design. You can't design something that's not going to fit into the church," said Summers.

Whether the project is for the church or renovations on his house, Summers knows which wood is the best to use. Through trial and error he has learned what will paint without flaking and what will cut smooth.

Along with kitchen cabinets, the fireplace he built in his house is a visual record of this knowledge. It is a tile-like centerpiece composed of dozens of different woods, each from trees found on his own property. The woods shine in their own colors with a natural stain.

"All require a little bit different way of handling the woods. Like people, they have different characteristics and color," said Summers.

cpierce@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127