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It all depends on the unit within our district. Most are pack and go after breakfast on Sunday. Some hold program through lunch and then go home. Then there are our LDS units, that pack and go home Saturday evening.

 

At camporees, I'm very thankful if units are packed and on the road home by 10am on Sunday. That means I might be able to leave between 1 and 2pm, depending on how much district gear has to be packed from the camporee site, and what my share of said gear is that needs to be transported to district storage (kindly provided by a town rec dept that also hosts one of our troops).

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Our troop is up by 6:00 AM at the latest on Sunday. Everyone packs their personal gear and breaks down their own tents (we're a bring your tent troop) and loads their cars. The patrol stuff is packed away Saturday night into the trailer. No one eats breakfast until ALL items are packed, stowed in cars and a police line is done. Breakfast is poptarts (cold of course), packaged muffins and bagels with juice or coffee served in paper cups and napkins.

 

All heck breaks loose if they aren't on the road by 9:00 AM. We camp 50% of our campouts within 20 minutes of our meeting place. The rest are 1-2 hours from home. There are no church obligations to race home for just leaders that "don't want to waste a day at camp". Not sure why they bother with the Saturday night stay over other than to get credit for the "night" of camping.

 

This style of camping doesn't go over well with several families. The younger scouts really have a hard time staying up until 10-11 PM on Saturday night then getting up at 6 AM on Sunday. The kids come home and sleep the rest of the day and are crabby too boot. Not to mention they are hungry when they get home.

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Growing up, our troop usually arrived back at the CO between 1:15 and 2PM, depending upon the CO we had. Since they were churches, if you go there before that time frame, there was no parking.

 

What I found interesting is the comment about the Catholic Church that chartered a troop. All 3 COs of my troop were Catholic Churches and they didn't specify when to be back. And we also didn't do Scout's Own except at summer camp. But almost all of the churches in the area had evening services, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

Now with the council I'm in, at council events they want you out of camp by 11AM.

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When I was cubscout camping we were always the first family there and the last to go. Partially that was because my wife had our only car and needed to get back for family obligations. I never understood "blitz" campers who would show up late Saturday and leave at first light Sunday. Some even left late Saturday night. Tent would not even be up 6 hours.

 

Trainerlady,

 

I think for Boy Scouts that is a pretty unsatisfactory schedule; seems dictated by uncommitted adults or to cater to over-committed boys. Yes we usually have a cold breakfast Sunday but sleep in a little as boys stay up late Saturday night.

 

We leave as early as practical on Friday and leave to arrive late on Saturday. Our boys sleep when they get home because they are exhausted from the activities--best to keep healthy young men good and tried. What kind of activities are you doing on your campouts? Is car camping or patrol camping or quasi-patrol camping. (We do quasi- as far apart as we can do on site provided they can hear us yell or the bugle.)

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Yah, interestin'.

 

For the life of me I can't imagine why so many people want to rush home on a Sunday morning. We're in da field! What could be better?? We're growin' the youth, the leaders of tomorrow! What could be more productive?

 

Makes me think that modern adults need to slow down and decompress and de-stress. To my mind, a lot of the learning that happens in scoutin' requires a bit of time to soak in. That's why summer camp and high adventure trips are so successful, eh? Boys have time to get in the groove. When yeh just rush out and back, there isn't any time to learn, work out interpersonal stuff, or experience the real consequences of not cleaning up after dinner and facing dirty pots at breakfast or stuff scattered about that yeh need for the Sunday hike.

 

Happily, I do know a few troops that never do a half a weekend. Depart on Friday, return Sunday evening. If scouting is fun, why not try to fit more in? If scouting is worthwhile and important, why rush off just to deal with weekly chores?

 

Beavah

 

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Troops that are sponsored by Catholic Churches need to make arrangements for the Scouts to attend Mass. Scouts' Own isn't sufficient to satisfy their Sunday obligation. Also, some Scouts have homework that needs to be finished on Sunday afternoon.

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Troops that are sponsored by Catholic Churches need to make arrangements for the Scouts to attend Mass.

 

Yah, hmmm...

 

This is interestin'. Is it somethin' new I wonder? Or is it local option?

 

In our area, Catholic scouts and units amount to about a quarter to a third of our youth served/units registered. There's not a perfect overlap the way there is with LDS, with many Catholic kids in non-Catholic units, and some non-Catholic kids in Catholic-sponsored units.

 

One of da units that almost always stays out to late Sunday is a Catholic-sponsored unit. Not sure how they handle it, though I know they do attend mass when in town. Our district folks sometimes share da site http://masstimes.org, which has times and locations for masses worldwide, for troops that want to just go off for an hour nearby on Sunday morning. I'm pretty sure da non-Catholic units with Catholic boys don't generally haul 'em off to services beyond Scouts' Own.

 

I've only run into this occasionally in supportin' units. Generally there are two reactions: either the parents are good with things and just go along, or they aren't and da local pastor just gives his dispensation or "commutes" the obligation to Tuesday morning mass before school.

 

Are other folks runnin' into somethin' different? Are our Catholic brethren now pursuing a more LDS-style approach that I should be aware of?

 

Beavah

 

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My SM was the organist at our church. So we were always in home in time to get breakfast and suit up for Sunday school!

 

The only time that was different was at camporees. One time we did Sunday service with an LDS troop.

 

I kinda like being able to have a brief devotional in the field Sunday mornings. Our CO has limited parking on Sundays, and they kind of like it when we pull in just after service lets out. (Of course, I think they'd be happy if we pulled in just before service and worshipped with them -- smoke-filled clothes and all.)

 

I know one Jewish fella who has to make arrangements for the Roman Catholic boys in his troop to attend mass wherever they travel at the request of the CO (a Roman Catholic church).

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Well, we can still come back from the campout on Sunday, but just have to be back in time for Mass. In our case, this year they've instituted a 6 oclock pm mass.

 

Things may differ in different parts of the country. I find Catholics in the Southeast to be much more hard-core about church attendance than Catholics in some other parts of the country.

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We attend Mass on Sunday not at the request of our Catholic sponsoring organization, but due to a number of parents who absolutely will not allow their son to go camping unless provisions for Mass attendance are built into the camping schedule prior to departure.

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"If scouting is worthwhile and important, why rush off just to deal with weekly chores?"

 

A couple of reasons...

 

Because that homework that requires the internet to research is due Monday, and teachers don't give extra time because a kid was off on a Scout camp out.

 

Late one day...that's a letter grade lost. Miss two? That'll be two letters off.

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In regards to Catholic Church and attendance at mass, I guess it depends. I only remember 2 times going to mass during a weekend trip. Once when the IH of a brother troop came to visit us and did a mass in the field (we were about 30 minutes away from their church), and once when it was a 7 hour trip home. And although no one was required to attend mass, everyone did, including the non-Catholics. But a big part of that is most of the members of the troop attended parochial school, and part of going is attendandce at the school masses. And that was being with 6 COs who were either the church, or the Knights of Columbus.

 

Now summer camp was a different story. Knights of Columbus councils in the BSA council were the ones that built the chapels at the camp. They also paid the salary of a Catholic seminarian to be the camp chaplain for the summer.

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SOP is to be back at the CO by noon Sunday. If we're camping nearby, that means we let the boys sleep-in a little later, and have a more leisurely packout. Usually try to do a quick Scouts' Own Service before hitting the road. Having time for fun depends on how quickly the patrols get packed. Occasionally, depending on the activity, we may stay an hour or so later.

 

If we're at the council camp we really have to shake it to get home by noon. We employ bribery. If the troop is packed up, in the cars, rolling by 9:30, we get to stop at a favorite country store for junk food. Later than that we just don't have time to stop so it's straight home.

 

Getting to the CO at noon means it's 1:00 by the time I get to leave and 2:00 by the time I'm unloaded at home and cleaned up. I don't think allowing folks half of their Sunday afternoon at home with their families is unreasonable.

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Taking Catholic scouts to Mass has a lot to do with the adult leaders. Our troop is co-sponsor with a Catholic Church, and I have been involved with the troop for over 25 years. Everyone knows if I am involved with the trip (and also, several other Catholic leaders), the Catholic scouts are going to have the opportunity to attend Mass (or they are going to be home in time to attend Mass at their Church). Non Catholic scouts do not have to attend, but I cannot remember the last time, someone did not wish to go with us.

 

Several years ago, we were at the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario over Memorial Weekend. In the village of Tobermory, there is a Protestant Church that allow the Catholics to use their Church on Saturdays evening. The priest drive up from Owen Sounds, an hour away. The scouts were all going into Church ahead of me, when they suddenly turned around and came back out. They all said, "There is a dead women in there!"

 

It seems that there are no funeral homes in Tobermory. When someone dies, they lay them out in the one Church, until the funeral services. We had no Mass that weekend!

And, as of four years ago, Catholic Mass for Sundays in Tobermory, is at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday! It is all part of the adventure!

 

 

 

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