Check out all the great news on Catholic Scouting in the St. Louis Archdiocese at this LINK.
Catholic Adventure Week –
July 14-20, 2013 at Swift Explorer Base
Register your Scouts today! Register as a Troop today! Don't miss this unique opportunity!
Catholic
Adventure Week for Boy Scouts, offered at the Swift Base of the S-F Scout Ranch, is sponsored
by the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the BSA, the Office of Catholic
Scouting, and the Catholic Committee on Scouting, BSA. Back for its 8th year!
Our
goal in providing this week for our Catholic Scouts is to give them an
experience of living their faith, growing in their faith, and loving their
faith within the Scouting movement and especially out in the wonders of God’s
creation.
While
at Swift for CAW, Scouts will be camping with their individual troops, under
their particular adult leadership. Since a number of our participants are
attending this camp in addition to their troop’s summer camp, there will be
cases where a Scout from a troop does not have a leader present at camp. A
“provisional troop” will be made for one of the camp sites, with leadership
being provided by members of the Catholic Committee on Scouting, BSA. In
the past this system has worked very well, and Scouts seem to mix easily with
other Scouts, without the tension that can be experienced at a normal summer
camp.
While
at CAW, Scouts will be exposed to the entire High Adventure program offered at
Swift. Intertwined with the outstanding program offered by the Swift
staff, merit badge program time, and there will be opportunities for prayer,
religious instruction, and reflection. Meals are in the dining hall, a
t-shirt is provided as a memento, and Mass on Friday. Program
manuals will be made available in March. The cost for the week is
$260 per Scout or $250 if paid in full by May 1.
We
will be offering again the “Voyageur program” for new Scouts. To
enroll your Troop and/or individual Catholic Scouts
for this special summer camp week, turn in a Troop reservation form (only if your
Troop plans to attend with adult leadership) and turn in individual youth and adult forms by clicking this link: 
Youth and Adult post forms.pdf Scouts wishing to be in the provisional
Troop or joining their own Troop need to have a form filled out and submitted. A $25 reservation fee is required to hold individual Scout
spots and all paperwork / fees should be sent to the Scout
office. Contact Tom Kroenung for more information at tkroenung@stlbsa.org
RELIGIOUS EMBLEMS COUNSELOR TRAINING
Call Greg or Liz Webb at 314-428-6234 for more info.
The next training will take place soon. Call Greg at the number above to RSVP. . .
POPE JOHN PAUL II AWARD - New Award Program
The program is designed for youth involved in Scouting.
The program was created by members of our Catholic committees, religious, priests, deacons, principals, educators and the staff at the Catholic Youth Apostolate and the Office of Catholic Scouting. The program was approved by Most Reverend Raymond Burke, archbishop of St. Louis, in June 2007.
For more information on how your Scouts can earn this award, please click on this link:
http://www.catholicscoutingstl.org/awards/pope-john-paul-ii-program-0#attachments
THUNDERBIRD DISTRICT OFFERS AD ALTARE DEI AND POPE PIUS XII SESSIONS FOR METRO SCOUTS
Through the Religious Emblems program of the Catholic Committee on Scouting, a boy can learn how to put his faith and his Scouting together in an integrated learning experience. By working on the religious emblem for his age, a boy reinforces what he learns in the parish religious education program. This can lead to his selection of a religious vocation. The Scouting apostolate is truly a most important aspect of youth ministry in our Church.
The Scout Oath and Law teaches a boy respect for authority, develops an attitude of service and encourages the Christian way of life.
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 453, sponsoring organization for the St. Mary Magdalen Boy Scout Troop 115 of the Thunderbird District, has volunteered to provide the Thunderbird District with an Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII Catholic Award Program for interested troops. Troop 16, from St. Cecilia's Parish, has graciously volunteered to aid the St. Mary Magdalen troop with the execution of these programs. Laura Collins and Tony Mortellaro, adult leaders from Troop 16, and Ed Bradley, the Catholic Committee for Scouting liaison to the Thunderbird District, will be assisting in this endeavor.
The start date for learning sessions each year is in early May, at the St. Mary Magdalen school cafeteria, starting at 9:30 a.m. with an opportunity of celebrating mass at 10:30 a.m.
For more information, please feel free to contact Joe Miklovic at 314-353-1062 (home) or 314-641-8696 (work).
For Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts: Ad Altare Dei . . .
A scripture-study and project-centered program based on the sacraments to relate the boy's Scouting life to his religious life. The Ad Altare Dei award, the first religious award of any kind for Boy Scouts, was initiated in 1945. The CYC began administering the program in 1964; however, their records date back to 1955. Since then, approximately 10,000 Catholic Boy Scouts have earned this award. The St. Louis Archdiocese has awarded more Ad Altare Dei medals than any other diocese in the United States.
For Older Scouts and Venturers: Pope Pius XII . . .
A program to help the teenager learn more about his/her personal vocation as a Christian now and his/her career vocation later.
CATHOLIC SCOUTING PROGRAM CALENDAR 2012-2013
August 29 Catholic Committee on Scouting Mtg
September 21-23 Boy Scout & Venturers Retreat / Adult Retreat on the 22nd
October 24 Catholic Committee on Scouting Mtg
November 1 Feast of All Saints
December 1 AAD & PPXII Day of Recollection
December 1 Catholic unit and adult award nominations due
December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 15 Day of Recollection - Boy Scouts & Venturers
December 25 Christmas
2013
January 6 Feast of the Epiphany
January 6 Ad Altare Dei Board of Review
January 8 Ad Altare Dei Board of Review
January 8 Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius Applications due
January 23 Catholic Committee on Scouting Meeting
February 3 Scout Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
February 13 Ash Wednesday
March 24 Palm Sunday
March 27 Catholic Committee on Scouting Mtg
March 28 Maundy Thursday – Show Me St. Louis show
March 29 Good Friday
March 30 Holy Saturday
March 31 Easter
April 6 Catholic Cub Day
April 21 Catholic Committee on Scouting Annual Recognition Dinner and Mass
July 14-20 Catholic Adventure Summer camp week at S-F
August 15 Feast of the Assumption (RC)
August 28 Catholic Committee on Scouting Meeting
September 20-22 Catholic Boy Scout & Venturer Youth Retreat
BUILDING ASSETS THROUGH RELIGIOUS AWARDS
When children participate in a religious award program, they know that when they complete all the requirements they will receive an award. What they may not know is that they will also have received a great number of "assets."
Developmental assets, as defined by Search Institute of Minneapolis, Minn., are the positive things that young people need in order to grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible adults. Research has shown that the more assets young people have, the more likely they are to engage in positive behaviors (i.e., volunteering or doing well in school) and the less likely they will engage in at-risk behaviors (alcohol use or violence). These 40 developmental assets fall into eight different categories: support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive identity.
Religious awards programs are uniquely designed to build assets in children and youth. Of course, the primary goal of religious awards is to help children grow stronger in faith, but a secondary goal is to help families and faith communities build assets in children.
When young people work alongside counselors, mentors, and religious leaders, and when parents are encouraged to share their faith with their children, the religious awards programs are helping provide the SUPPORT mechanisms in their lives.
When young people design service projects for their congregations and take active roles in reaching out to their communities, the religious awards programs are contributing to youth EMPOWERMENT.
When counselors, mentors, religious leaders, and Scouting leaders have high expectations for young people and take the opportunity to talk about respect, obedience and not only how people should behave but WHY, the religious awards programs are helping instill BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS.
When young people do independent work at home, attend worship services and youth group and do volunteer service projects for their community, the religious awards programs are helping them make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME.
When young people are motivated to earn an award, the religious awards programs are strengthening their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING.
When young people articulate their faith and embrace the values of honesty, responsibility, and restraint, the religious awards programs are nurturing POSITIVE VALUES.
When young people talk about choices and learn how their faith impacts their choices, the religious awards programs are improving their SOCIAL COMPETENCIES.
When young people are brought up within a faith community and are valued members of that faith community, the religious awards programs are strengthening their POSITIVE IDENTITY.
The religious awards programs are excellent tools to help young people connect the values that they learn in Scouting with the values taught by their faith community. They are also tools that congregations can use to help build assets in children and youth. Take the time to learn about the religious awards programs. Your children and young people will benefit!
