St. Louis Archdiocese cutting ties with Girl Scouts

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St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has issued a letter calling on parishes to seek alternatives to Girl Scouts, arguing that the program and related organizations conflict with Catholic teaching.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis isn’t directly kicking Girl Scout troops and activities off of all church properties, but is suggesting they and their cookies may no longer be welcome in the fold.

stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/st-louis-archdiocese-cutting-ties-with-girl-scouts/article_3615864c-8199-56ec-b93d-b7317732f951.html#utm_source=[domain]&utm_campaign=/newsletters/breaking-news/new-4-25-13/?wrapper=true&_t=2&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
 
estesbob said:
St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has issued a letter calling on parishes to seek alternatives to Girl Scouts, arguing that the program and related organizations conflict with Catholic teaching.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis isn’t directly kicking Girl Scout troops and activities off of all church properties, but is suggesting they and their cookies may no longer be welcome in the fold.

stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/st-louis-archdiocese-cutting-ties-with-girl-scouts/article_3615864c-8199-56ec-b93d-b7317732f951.html#utm_source=[domain]&utm_campaign=/newsletters/breaking-news/new-4-25-13/?wrapper=true&_t=2&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
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I think it is a good idea to suggest alternatives to Girl Scouts. My older daughter was in Brownies and it was not a positive experience (anecdotal evidence alert!). Our experience was negative for many reasons, not because of the association with Girl Scouts. Our group did not focus much on virtue and it was more of a mean-girl session with refreshments and a craft.

We then became involved in Little Flowers and found it to be very enjoyable.

Here is a link on how to start a Little Flowers club for anyone interested:

catholicallyear.com/2014/08/how-to-start-little-flowers-girls-club.html
 
Another alternative group is American Heritage Girls. This is Christian based, formed mostly by evangelicals, but apparently compatible with Catholicism (much more than Girls Scouts). If a troop is started in a Catholic parish, they can form it more in a Catholic direction.

I have had relatives who say Girls Scouts overall has concerns, but “here in our parish” the women who run the troop are faithful Catholics. The problem is that the leaders in the troop inevitably pass along some of the secularistic slant, not intentionally but in various materials; the girls in the parish troop get information from the Girl Scouts that does not get filtered by the Troop; girls in the parish troop often participate in larger regional activities with other troops that are more open to the secularistic influences. As girls grow older, some will identify more with the Girl Scout priorities long after they stop seeing the innocent parish ladies who led the parish troop.

Boy Scout troops are chartered by the sponsoring organization. If a parish sponsors a troop, the pastor can come to any function, parish leaders may, if they choose, influence what goes on in the troop or who the leaders are. The Troop is, loosely, a parish function.

Girl Scout troops are different. Essentially the parish grants space to the group. It has no influence on the group. The group is meeting at the parish building, and may include parishioners as leaders.
 
I clicked the link but the story wouldn’t come up for me. What did the Girl Scouts do? It’s too late for me this year because I just bought the last 2 boxes of thin mints last Saturday that a girl scout had at her table at a shopping center where I was at. It was the last weekend for sales in my area until next yr. She was so excited exclaiming to her father, “Dad, he bought the last thin mints!” Her father said oh boy people are going to be mad the rest of the weekend when they find out we are out of thin mints. I gave 1 box to my niece for St Valentines Day but have already devoured the other box. I enjoyed 1 sleeve frozen with a hot cup of French vanilla coffee.
 
Sy_Noe said:
I bought the last 2 boxes of thin mints last Saturday that a girl scout had at her table at a shopping center where I was at. It was the last weekend for sales in my area until next yr. She was so excited exclaiming to her father, “Dad, he bought the last thin mints!” Her father said oh boy people are going to be mad the rest of the weekend when they find out we are out of thin mints. I gave 1 box to my niece for Valentines Day and have already devoured the other box. I especially enjoy them frozen with a hot cup of French vanilla coffee.
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I used to enjoy Girl Scout cookies too until I read the ingredient list. Now I get my peanut butter cookies from Whole Foods and they taste exactly the same! Just have a much shorter ingredient list. 😉
 
lax16 said:
I used to enjoy Girl Scout cookies too until I read the ingredient list. Now I get my peanut butter cookies from Whole Foods and they taste exactly the same! Just have a much shorter ingredient list. 😉
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I’ve already discarded the box to read the ingredients of the mints. I think there is a Whole Foods about 40 mins from me. I edited my post though. What did the Girl Scouts do that was so anti Catholic? I was guessing maybe something to do with homosexuality but I don’t know for sure. Or is it something to do with the ingredients? I know I did think how nice it was the father was with his daughter last weekend.
 
I removed my daughter from Girl Scouts years ago, and I am glad I did. What they “preached” (and preach is what the leaders did!), was definitely in conflict with the values I wanted for my young child.

Will admit though, it’s hard NOT to buy those Thin Mints.
 
fencersmother said:
I removed my daughter from Girl Scouts years ago, and I am glad I did. What they “preached” (and preach is what the leaders did!), was definitely in conflict with the values I wanted for my young child.

Will admit though, it’s hard NOT to buy those Thin Mints.
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No one ever said it would be easy to be Catholic! 😃
 
What did the Girl Scouts do that was so anti Catholic? I was guessing maybe something to do with homosexuality but I don’t know for sure. Or is it something to do with the ingredients?
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"Organizations that GSUSA promotes and partners with are conflict with Catholic values, such as Amnesty International, Coalition for Adolescent Girls, OxFam and more. This is especially troubling in regards to sex education and advocacy for “reproductive rights” (i.e. abortion and contraceptive access, even for minors).

That makes sense. It’s also why I stopped being affiliated with Amnesty International. :yup:
I know I did think how nice it was the father was with his daughter last weekend.
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:eek:
Wait, is there language in that sentence that slams single women and families who are “different”?? :D;)😛
 
SuperLuigi said:
"Organizations that GSUSA promotes and partners with are conflict with Catholic values, such as Amnesty International, Coalition for Adolescent Girls, OxFam and more. This is especially troubling in regards to sex education and advocacy for “reproductive rights” (i.e. abortion and contraceptive access, even for minors).

That makes sense. It’s also why I stopped being affiliated with Amnesty International. :yup:

:eek:
Wait, is there language in that sentence that slams single women and families who are “different”?? :D;)😛
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Thank you.

Not at all. Just that families come in all shapes and sizes including the kind that come with a mother and a father (if the father I saw was married to the scout’s mom) or if he were a widow or otherwise single father or man who became a father thru adoption, in any of those cases, spending time with his daughter. Family values. 👍
 
Sy_Noe said:
Thank you.

Not at all. Just that families come in all shapes and sizes including the kind that come with a mother and a father (if the father I saw was married to the scout’s mom) or if he were a widow or otherwise single father or man who became a father thru adoption, in any of those cases, spending time with his daughter. Family values. 👍
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All this time I thought you were female! Now I will have to reconfigure how I picture you when I read your posts! 🙂
 
7_Sorrows said:
All this time I thought you were female! Now I will have to reconfigure how I picture you when I read your posts! 🙂
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7 Sorrows, how do you determine a gender from that post? Interesting you say that though because I just recently realized you were actually female from one of yours and all this time I had thought you were male! 😃
 
Sy_Noe said:
7 Sorrows, how do you determine a gender from that post? Interesting you say that though because I just recently realized you were actually female from one of yours and all this time I had thought you were male! 😃
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because of what the girl scout told her dad.
HE just bought the last 2 boxes…

Another poster once was surprised I was female. I would think 7 Sorrows would be associated with Mary - a female.
 
7_Sorrows said:
because of what the girl scout told her dad.
HE just bought the last 2 boxes…

Another poster once was surprised I was female. I would think 7 Sorrows would be associated with Mary - a female.
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I never would have guessed. 😛
 
Sy Noe;13682506]Thank you.
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👍 You’re welcome!
Not at all. Just that families come in all shapes and sizes including the kind that come with a mother and a father (if the father I saw was married to the scout’s mom) or if he were a widow or otherwise single father or man who became a father thru adoption, in any of those cases, spending time with his daughter. Family values. 👍
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Oh, I was just kidding. I know the post meant well. :whacky:
 
Sy_Noe said:
I’ve already discarded the box to read the ingredients of the mints. I think there is a Whole Foods about 40 mins from me. I edited my post though. What did the Girl Scouts do that was so anti Catholic? I was guessing maybe something to do with homosexuality but I don’t know for sure. Or is it something to do with the ingredients? I know I did think how nice it was the father was with his daughter last weekend.
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Most grocery stores carry cookies that are “healthier” but I can’t say I’ve seen Thin Mints…I wonder if there is a good replacement for those.

I don’t know if anyone has stated that GS are anti-Catholic, however the group we were involved with didn’t focus on virtue and it was compete chaos. The leader was the nicest woman and really tried to make it fun but the girls were very poorly behaved.

Are unhealthy ingredients in cookies a reason for Catholics to consider an alternative to Girl Scouts? Obviously, not. I wouldn’t buy their junky cookies though.

edit to add:
wellnessbakeries.com/healthy-thin-mint-cookies-recipe/
 
7_Sorrows said:
because of what the girl scout told her dad.
HE just bought the last 2 boxes…

Another poster once was surprised I was female. I would think 7 Sorrows would be associated with Mary - a female.
Click to expand...
:doh2: Although I thought Sy too would be associated with a male. Short for Seymour or Simon or something.
 
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