Scout Sunday?

[James0235]

Then they are missing out on a valid form of youth ministry.

That’s right.

I remember reading once that Scouting IS Youth Ministry.

Seriously, I was involved in the Boy Scouts (met in a Catholic Church) and in Explorer Scouts (met at an airport). And they were both very positive experiences.

There were no parish youth groups when I was growing up. But, the Boy Scouts certainly filled that niche in my life.

James

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Remember that we’re not in the US and we live in an isolated community.

Oops I didn’t notice the Canada up there. Anyway the BSA won’t re-charter if you have less than 5 Scouts and 5 Scouters (2 leaders and 3 committee members)

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

LOL - scouting has ways around that!! Both Boy and Girl scout programs have a ‘lone scout’ program and both are international.

In the US, the girls are called Juliettes, after our founder, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low.

I don’t have a problem with Scout Sunday. Ya put on the uniform, ya line up the kids, they go in before the Entrance Procession, they get their religious awards at an appropriate point in the Mass, and they trot out after the priest. Ya set up a table with information, maybe have brunch and a Scout’s Own, and ya try to sign up more kids in the parish center.

We once even had Scout Sunday at the Saturday Vigil, and the scouts and parents went out after to a pizza place.

Our sisters to the north are Guides. They make only two types of cookies (I can’t imagine not selling samoas, but OK). They have a slightly different promise and law. They have “lones” for girls who do not have a troop (Look at the bottom of the page). They work on the Religion in Life badge.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Today my parish celebrated “Boy Scout Sunday” at the 11:30 Mass. The deacon gave the homily and invited one of the scouts to come up and help him with a “demonstration.” After the profession of faith, the priest gave a blessing over several cub scouts and the deacon awarded them each some sort of pin for their uniforms. … Is this licit? …

I think the blessing is licit in the USA.

The USA has approval for a Book of Blessings, which includes blessings permitted in the USA, but which are not in the Latin original.

A blessing that can be included in Mass, in the USA, is: “Order for the Blessing of Those Receiving Ecclesiatistical Honors”. It is Chapter 68 of the Book of Blessings. It has in the introduction:
“1941 This order is intended for use on occasions when ecclesiastical honors are conferred. It is appropriate for use by a bishop when priests have been named as members of the papal household … and when laity have been granted papal honors.
The blessing may also be used for the conferral of diocesan or parish honors.”

What is a “parish honor”? I think these scout badges qualify. The parish priest (or bishop) seems to be adopting the scouting honor, making it a church honor.

I think the bishop’s approval is required for this ceremony, since the Book of Blessings has: “1946 This order may be used by a bishop or priest delegated by him.”

The ceremony can take place in Mass. After the homily, those to receive the honor are presented to the presiding minister. Someone explains the honor and reason for its conferral. The minister presents the honor “rescript, medal, etc.”. Then there are intercessions and a prayer of blessing.

The Book of Blessings does not specify when the Profession of Faith should take place. So I think it would be reasonable to have it either after the homily, or before the intercessions.

Another blessing permitted in the USA, in Mass, is a “Order for the Blessing of Students and Teachers”. The prayer of blessing can be modified to bless just the students, or just the teachers. I think this a bit different to scouts, so I would take the conferral of ecclesial honors approach.

Reference: Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, page 739.

 

[jc-servant]

We have very active Catholic boys and girls troops/packs in scouting at our parish. (I was a Campfire Girl, but I’m still happy the kids have something wholesome). At 10am mass, those who earned the religious awards (2 kinds) received them at the very end of mass right before the announcements and final blessing and they were affirmed with applause. At noon mass, there were a few more scouts in the pews who had apparently not earned awards/medals. They were told to stand at the end of mass to be recognized by the parish.

I think it is wonderful to let the children feel the support of their parish family and to receive a special blessing too. It did not disrupt anything because it was after communion and right before announcements.

 

[Lepanto]

The Girls Scouts were in the news a few years ago because of their involvement with Planned Parenthood and other feminist and lesbian organizations (some troops more than others.)

Just so you know, there is a 100% Catholic alternative to the Girl Scouts:
members.aol.com/eccehomopr/lfgchome.htm

Here is the boys’ alternative:
members.aol.com/eccehomopr/blue_knights_home.htm

 

[SanClemente]

Today my parish celebrated “Boy Scout Sunday” at the 11:30 Mass.

Actually, in the USA the correct title is “Scout Sunday”. It is always celebrated as the Sunday preceding February 8th. This year is particularly important, as it is the 100th anniversary of the start of the Scouting movement.

The deacon gave the homily and invited one of the scouts to come up and help him with a “demonstration.” After the profession of faith, the priest gave a blessing over several cub scouts and the deacon awarded them each some sort of pin for their uniforms. There was a lot of applause throughout Mass. Is this licit? Has this happened at anyone else’s parish?

It happened at my parish today. I can’t defend the applause, but as other have pointed out, it is licit (as long as the scout was not giving the homily).

In fact, regarding the Catholic Religious medals, it sounds like what you saw is the form suggested by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) and approved by the Secretariat on the Laity and Family Life from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. See the NCCS web page for details.

I’m a registered Scout Leader with the Cub Scout Pack sponsored by our parish’s Holy Name Society. About half our boys are Catholic, with the rest of mix of Methodist, Mormon, Orthodox, Presbyterian and unchurched. Remember, we Scouts take an oath to do our duty to God and our country.

We Catholics are far behind our separated brethren when it comes to using Scouting to help our youth grow in faith. After hearing about the big deal put on for the boys from other churches, I started three years ago to get our Catholic boys to experience a Scout Sunday. Today, it finally worked.

BennyBoy89 - you would have hated our service today too. At the 9:00AM Mass, about 20 Scouts and 6 Scout Leaders processed in (like the Knights of Columbus do) in uniform. The Cub Scouts were remarkably less fidgety than usual. We had older scouts as lectors, and three uniformed Scout leaders (adults) as the three Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. After his Homily, Father asked all the current and former Scouts and Scouts to stand for a blessing. About a fifth of the congregation stood. We didn’t have any applause.

Since none of our boys complete their requirements in time, we couldn’t award any medals. But, if a boy had done the work, the NCCS would have had us award the medals today.

I think the traditionalists may have gained a new convert…

If I may, I’d like to leave you with a quote from a Traditionalist about the value of Scouting:
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO CARD. JEAN-PIERRE RICARD PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF THE FIRST SCOUT CAMP

To His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard,
Archbishop of Bordeaux
President of the Bishops’ Conference of France

The first of August 2007 will mark the 100th anniversary of the opening on Brownsea Island, England, of the first Scout camp organized by Lord Baden-Powell.

On this occasion, all those in the world, young people and adults who once made their Scout promise individually or as a group, will be invited to renew it and to make a gesture for peace, thereby stressing how close the vocation of a “peacemaker” is to the Scout ideal.

For a century, through games, action, adventure, contact with nature, a team spirit and service to others, an integral formation of the human person is offered to everyone who becomes a Scout.

Made fruitful by the Gospel, scouting is not only a place for true human growth but also for a forceful presentation of Christianity and real spiritual and moral development, as well as being an authentic path of holiness.
Yours in Scouting,

SanClemente

 

[Digitonomy]

I find it interesting that medals are being awarded at the parishes. When I got mine, we had to go to the cathedral.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

The Girls Scouts were in the news a few years ago because of their involvement with Planned Parenthood and other feminist and lesbian organizations (some troops more than others.)

Just so you know, there is a 100% Catholic alternative to the Girl Scouts:
members.aol.com/eccehomopr/lfgchome.htm

Here is the boys’ alternative:
members.aol.com/eccehomopr/blue_knights_home.htm

While Little Flower is a viable organization for any parish, it is wrong in my opinion for Catholics to give up their long-standing with national Girl Scouts USA at the troop level just because the national organization has had an association with PP. In fact, in our area, units (groups of women volunteers who oversee the troop plans) have refused to give national money for anything that even seems connected to PP. Checks have been cut specifiying that the money going to the council and national must be spent on something specific and nothing else. The USCCB recognizes Girl Scouts USA, and through NCCS and NFYCM earn religious medals. PP is not allowed on parish campi totalk with the girls on anything. In this council, the only event discussing anything remotely sexual is “the Talk” in the form of a mother-daughter tea to discuss menstruation.

 

[drafdog]

You will note that respondents have been universally supportive of the Scouting movement and have not complained about Scouts attending Mass in a group and in uniform on “Scout Sunday.”

Perhaps the presentation of religious awards should have been done at the Court of Honor, but due to the nature of the award, the fact that this is specifically in conjunction with the Church it is not untoward to present them in the church. We should be doing all we can to encourage good citizenship and uprightness in our young people. “A Scout is reverent” says the Scout Law.

Matthew

Ex Scoutmaster

 

[Digitonomy]

Perhaps the presentation of religious awards should have been done at the Court of Honor

A troop Court of Honor is definitely not the appropriate place for the awards, because it’s not the Scouts who give this award.

Whether it should be part of a regular mass is another question. In my case, we had a Sunday afternoon diocesan mass at the cathedral for all “scouts” of whatever type (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, and a fourth organization that escapes me) receiving Catholic religious medals. Although come to think of it, the Cub Scouts may have gotten their Parvuli Dei from our pastor at a regular mass, rather than the bishop at the cathedral.

 

[Eilish_Maura]

You will note that respondents have been universally supportive of the Scouting movement and have not complained about Scouts attending Mass in a group and in uniform on “Scout Sunday.”

Perhaps the presentation of religious awards should have been done at the Court of Honor, but due to the nature of the award, the fact that this is specifically in conjunction with the Church it is not untoward to present them in the church. We should be doing all we can to encourage good citizenship and uprightness in our young people. “A Scout is reverent” says the Scout Law.

Matthew

Ex Scoutmaster

I am not sure if the recommendation to present one of the Religious Emblem awards specifically indicates during a Mass BUT it is strongly recommended that a priest present them.

They are NOT BSA awards btw.

 

[SanClemente]

Today my parish celebrated “Boy Scout Sunday” at the 11:30 Mass. The deacon gave the homily and invited one of the scouts to come up and help him with a “demonstration.” After the profession of faith, the priest gave a blessing over several cub scouts and the deacon awarded them each some sort of pin for their uniforms. There was a lot of applause throughout Mass. Is this licit? Has this happened at anyone else’s parish?

I think the traditionalists may have gained a new convert…

In line with my personal philosophy of “no dead horse left unbeaten”, I offer the following from Sacrosanctum Concilium, which addresses the issue raised by BennyBoy89:
D) Norms for adapting the Liturgy to the culture and traditions of peoples

1. Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and talents of the various races and peoples. Anything in these peoples’ way of life which is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she studies with sympathy and, if possible, preserves intact. Sometimes in fact she admits such things into the liturgy itself, so long as they harmonize with its true and authentic spirit.
   Yours in Scouting,

SanClemente