Be reverent. This is one of the 12 Points of the Scout Law that guide every member of Scouts BSA (formerly known as Boy Scouts). Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls, and Trail Life all follow similar laws. On Sunday, March 12, Bishop Barry C. Knestout presided over a Scout Mass held at St. Mary’s, Richmond. Dozens of scouts from throughout the diocese were honored with religious medals and emblems.
Andrew Waring, director of the diocese’s Office for Evangelization, which coordinated the event, explained why having a separate annual Scout Mass is important.
“When it is at its best, Scouts helps boys and girls to grow as a complete person. The Scouting groups that are part of Scout Mass use religious emblems to help Catholic scouts to grow in their faith as they grow in Scouts,” he said. “The Scout Mass allows for the diocese to acknowledge them on a public level and to affirm them in their growth in faith.”
Award recipients spanned ages and ranks. Five-year-olds, adults, and many more in between were recognized for their service to their community and to their faith. Various awards highlight a strong bond between the scout and God.
The Light of Christ emblem is awarded to Cub Scouts who develop a personal relationship with Jesus and see him as their friend, while the God is Love award is given to young Girl Scouts who learn of God’s love for each of them and recognize God’s presence in their daily lives.
Select older Girl Scouts received the Marian Medal, which focuses on the Virgin Mary serving as a model of spirituality for young women. Several teenage scouts earned the Ad Altare Dei emblem, which is based on the scout knowing, understanding and observing the Catholic sacraments. Additionally, any scout who reaches the rank of Eagle Scout is able to receive a letter from Pope Francis.
During his homily, Bishop Knestout focused on various “rules of three” that are present in one’s life. He spoke of the rule of three pertaining to physical wellbeing, what one needs to survive. The basic necessities of this are food, water and shelter. One can only survive but a few days without water, a few weeks without food, and not much longer without shelter. Scouting equips scouts with the tools and knowledge to survive in various natural environments, he said.
Bishop Knestout next spoke of the Church’s Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
“Prayer is focusing our mind and attention towards God and the gifts he gives to us … Fasting is to temper our own passions for those things that are selfish so we might be more selfless …,” he said. “Almsgiving is directed toward charity and those in need; it’s the awareness that we are connected to one another.”
Bishop Knestout then spoke about the virtues of faith, hope and love. He said faith is trusting that God will always be with everyone, hope is having confidence that the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled, and love is the desire to be reunited with God, and also for the good of those around us.
“Scouting helps you do all those things,” he said. “It encourages reverence for God and reverence and care for those around you.”
The Mullis family has been involved in Scout life for generations. Jon and Victoria Mullis grew up as scouts and now serve as Scout masters for their children’s troops; Jon leads son Owen’s troop and Victoria leads daughter Caroline’s troop.
“I’ve grown to love being a leader in Boy Scouts. It’s a good chance to give back to the youth,” said Jon. “When you look at the Scout Oath, it parallels the story of Christ. There is so much you can draw from that connection. I enjoy how we can apply Scout Laws in our daily life with respect to duty to God.”
Caroline Mullis, who is in fifth grade, said, “Girl Scouts makes me think about how God is with me in my daily life and how it’s made me treat other people better.”
An Eagle Scout himself, Chris Carter now helps lead his two sons who have followed in his footsteps as scouts.
“I want to give back to the Scouting program because it helped change my life,” he said. “I love watching other kids learn and having an impact on their lives.”
Lisa Sprosty also has deep scouting roots. She became a Girl Scout in 1985 and now leads St. Mary Girl Scout Troop 642. Raised in a military family, she moved around a lot as a child but always felt at home when she was among other scouts.
“Scouting and Church were the two things that were a constant everywhere we went,” she explained. “They both share similar values in community, respect and service to others.”
Sprosty’s nieces, both of whom were awarded the God is Love emblem at the Mass, and nephews continued the family tradition.
“I earned the same religious medal in 1985 that my troop earned this year,” she said. “There is nothing more important to me than being able to share that tradition and faith with the next generation.”
Editor’s note: To learn more about laying down some scouting roots, or continuing to grow them, please visit https://evangelizerichmond.org/youth/scouting/ or email [email protected].
12 Points of Scout Law from BSA website:
A Scout is:
TRUSTWORTHY. Tell the truth and keep promises. People can depend on you.
LOYAL. Show that you care about your family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and country.
HELPFUL. Volunteer to help others without expecting a reward.
FRIENDLY. Be a friend to everyone, even people who are very different from you.
COURTEOUS. Be polite to everyone and always use good manners.
KIND. Treat others as you want to be treated. Never harm or kill any living thing without good reason.
OBEDIENT. Follow the rules of your family, school, and pack. Obey the laws of your community and country.
CHEERFUL. Look for the bright side of life. Cheerfully do tasks that come your way. Try to help others be happy.
THRIFTY. Work to pay your own way. Try not to be wasteful. Use time, food, supplies, and natural resources wisely.
BRAVE. Face difficult situations even when you feel afraid. Do what you think is right despite what others might be doing or saying.
CLEAN. Keep your body and mind fit. Help keep your home and community clean.
REVERENT. Be reverent toward God. Be faithful in your religious duties. Respect the beliefs of others.
Scout Oath:
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Award information:
Light of Christ
The purpose of the Light of Christ program is to help Cub Scouts develop a personal relationship with Jesus. With the parents active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the scout will come to see Jesus as a real person and his friend.
Parvuli Dei
The purpose of the Parvuli Dei (Children of God) emblem is to help young boys explore a wide range of activities in order to discover the presence of God in their daily lives.
Ad Altare Dei
The purpose of the Ad Altare Dei (to the altar of God) program is to help Catholic Boy Scouts and Venturing Crew Scouts develop a fully Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the seven Sacraments: a primary means toward spiritual growth.
Bronze Pelican Award
The pelican is an excellent symbol of adult leaders that gave of themselves to our youth. The Bronze Pelican Award is a Diocesan recognition for adults who have been members of Catholic Scouting for at least three years and have made outstanding contributions to the development of youth in Boy or Girl Scout programs.
Saint George Emblem
Saint George was a knight who lived his life in the service of others. He was described as a defender of virtue, someone who publicly witnessed to the faith to the point of martyrdom, making him an excelled patron saint for Scouting. This award may be presented to any adult who has been a member of Catholic Scouting for at least five years and has made a significant contribution to Scouting in the field of Catholic relationships.
Pope Pius XII
The Pope Pius XII is a church-related ministries and vocation program. The program deals with different life choices (single, married, religious, and ordained) occupations and ministries in the church as calls from God. It includes participant-led discussions on current issues facing the church and society which are normally included as part of a Pope Pius XII retreat or day of recollection.
God is Love
The program helps young girls learn about Gods great love for them and for all things too. They will explore a wide range of activities to discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of a family, a parish and a Catholic Church.
Pillars of Faith: Duty to God
The Pillars of Faith program provides special recognition to those boys who have earned all four Catholic Religious Emblems:
- Light of Christ
- Parvuli Dei
- Ad Altare Dei
- Pope Pius XII
Family of God
Family of God is an activity series developed to complement the catechetical efforts of the parish and families to help Catholic Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, American Heritage Girls, and Junior Catholic Daughters of Americas explore the presence of God in their lives as part of their own family, parish family, and “God’s family
I Live My Faith
A national program for Juniors to develop awareness within the individual girl of her potential as a growing person, a friend, a member within her own family, a citizen, and a participant in the life of the Church.
Marian Medal
The Marian Medal program helps Catholic Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and American Heritage Girls learn about the Blessed Virgin Mary and apply what they learn to their everyday life. It enables girls to “proclaim the greatness of the Lord.”
The Spirit Alive
This Spirit Alive is designed to help high school Catholic Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, and American Heritage Girls grow in awareness of the Holy Spirit. It assists them in discovering how the Holy Spirit moves in their lives, calling them to greater participation in the Church’s ministry.
Pillars of Faith: Service to God
The Pillars of Faith program provides special recognition to those girls who have earned all four Catholic Religious Emblems:
- Family of God
- I Live My Faith
- Mary, the First Disciple
- Spirit Alive
Girl Scouts mission – from Girl Scouts website
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Scout BSA mission – from BSA website
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
American Heritage Girls – Information from AHG website
American Heritage Girls builds women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. AHG is a faith-based organization for girls 5 through 18, where girls experience new challenges that teach service, team-building and leadership skills in a safe and fun environment with a strong outdoor emphasis.
Trail Life USA – Information from Trail Life website
Trail Life USA is a Church-Based, Christ-Centered, Boy-Focused mentoring and discipleship journey that speaks to the heart of a boy. Established on timeless values derived from the Bible and set in the context of outdoor adventure, boys from Kindergarten through 12th grade are engaged in a Troop setting by male mentors where they are challenged to grow in character, understand their purpose, serve their community, and develop practical leadership skills to carry out the mission for which they were created.