ABOUT CATHOLIC SCOUTING
Volunteer leaders strive to promote and execute a religious program for youth and young adults involved in Boy and Girl Scout programs. Catholic programs expand the traditional purpose of scouting by fostering the involvement of Catholic youth in projects aimed at education and faith formation. Additionally, they encourage spiritual events designed to guide youth toward their eventual roles as elders in their faith communities. Badges designed as religious emblems mark achievement in these areas.
The Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting for Boys is an appointed group of religious and lay scouters, from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic churches, that promote and execute a religious program for youth involved with the Boy Scouts of America. The committee meets quarterly.
The Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting for Girls is comprised of volunteers dedicated to the advancement of the spiritual and Catholic dimensions of the Girl Scout program. This is accomplished through religious emblems, recognition, adult training, and spiritual events that enhance the Girl Scout ideals.
Learn more about Catholic Scouting by visiting the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and the National Catholic Committee for Girl Scouts and Camp Fire USA.
Those already participating in the Catholic Scouting Program can apply for and order emblems and medals (some restrictions may apply) by using the application and order forms on the diocesan website.
For additional information or questions, please contact Father E. George Saletrik at [email protected].
Adult Facilitator & Moderator Training
For more information on Adult Girl Scout Emblem Training, Adult Facilitator Training for Pope Pius XII Emblem, and Adult Moderator Training for Ad Altare Dei Emblem, please visit the Emblems & Convocation page.
The Scouting Convocation is a Mass celebrated by the Diocesan Bishop where he presents the religious emblems to the older youth, units, and adults. It is generally held the first Sunday in May at Christ Our Shepherd Center, near Greensburg. It is followed by an opportunity for photos and a social. All religious recognition programs are administered by the Diocese through the Office of Faith, Family, and Discipleship, as well as the Diocesan scouting chaplain. All emblems must be approved by the Diocese.
National Catholic Leadership Development
The National Catholic Committee on Scouting® (NCCS) offers a special training course to Diocesan committees that want to prepare scouters to use scouting as a form of youth ministry.
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness that the work done in the scouting program is true ministry. As adults, we are witnessing not only our own faith commitment, but we are also trying to help the scout make a personal faith commitment.
Lay apostolate formation is the process by which we, as Catholic scouters, create greater awareness of our role to “seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church-Lumen Gentium, 31). We fulfill the role of the lay apostolate through our involvement in the secular realm of the Boy Scouts of America giving us the opportunity to carry out the necessary task of evangelizing the secular world, particularly through our involvement with children and adolescents.
The National Catholic Leadership Development is designed to help scouters come to a better understanding of the role of religious faith in their lives. The program is designed to be experiential and not overly didactic. Through a series of guided reflections, both the individual and the group examine Scripture passages to ascertain how God is calling each to respond.
The scouter does not have to know any specific doctrines, nor is an extensive knowledge of Scripture presumed. What is of critical importance, however, is that the scouter be reflective and be willing to share those reflections with others.
The program has four component parts or dimensions. These are: the call to leadership, the call to holiness, the call to conversion, and the call to worship.
From nccs-bsa.org
