Boy Scouts set their faith on fire

[fgoodwin 23]

Boy Scouts set their faith on fire

 

http://www.bowieblade.com/vault/cgi-bin/bowie/view/2007B/05/10-05.HTM

http://tinyurl.com/ynv38q

 

By NATHANAEL T. MILLER For the Blade-News

 

Boy and Girl Scouts from Bowie represented the city well during the annual Scout Religious Retreat last weekend. Held at Our Lady of Mattaponi Catholic Retreat Center in Croom, the three-day event was an ecumenical gathering of Catholic and Protestant Scouts to fellowship together and grow in their faith.

 

The Rev. Scott Woods, assistant pastor at Mt. Calvary Catholic Church in Forrestville, acts as chaplain to the Catholic Committee on Scouting in the Archdiocese of Washington and was in overall charge of the retreat. Although the Archdiocese takes point on putting the annual event together, Father Scott, as he likes to be known, said the purpose is wider than merely educating Catholic Scouts.

 

"Our goal has been to make it friendly for the Protestants," Woods said. He explained that the retreat started many years ago as a Catholic event. "Pretty much all the troops have people of both groups (Catholic and Protestant)," Woods explained. The general plan during the retreat is to teach all the young people together at various stations, regardless of their specific church affiliation. "We try to get them to stay together and only separate for those parts that are denominational specific, such as confession for the Catholics."

 

"I like the stations," said 12-year-old Amanda Porter of Bowie Girl Scout Troop 542. The various stations were sites of an activity that illustrated a particular part of this year's theme of "Rekindling the Flame." "I like the one where we did catch-the-flag and where we built a fire," she said, referring to a station where the Scouts would write down both a sin and a good thing they had done and drop it into a fire. The paper being burned was used to illustrate how God's grace wipes out our sins, while the white smoke represented how good deeds flow from the heart of someone who loves God.

 

Krista Bonuccelli, 14, also of Troop 542, said she also has a great time just getting out and doing things side by side with her male counterparts. "It's diverse between the boys and the girls, and it's a chance for us to show what we've got." Assistant advisor for Girl Scout Troop 542, Martha Whiteley, agreed that the opportunity for the girls to work next to the Boy Scouts was an important chance for the girls' growth as future leaders. "There's very much a 'woman can do what a man can do' competition," Whiteley said. "It's a healthy competition."

 

James Whitehead, a 17-year-old with Bowie Troop 1559, was volunteering to help run a station called "The Source and the Summit." After hearing a lesson, the Scouts had to make their way up a slippery, muddy hillside. Whitehead said the muddy climb "makes it difficult, which is similar to Jesus' struggle in carrying the cross."

 

Of course, no Scouting camp out would be complete without a really big bonfire, and this was no exception. Some young men of Bowie Troops 403 and 1250 took point on building a 7-foot high fire and prepping the stage area for the final night's events. "We're digging holes to put cans in, and we're going to fill them with kerosene and put a little paper towel in there," 16-year-old Adam Morehouse of Troop 403 said. The improvised kerosene candles acted as stage lights. The lights would define the stage area where the last skits and lessons would be performed with the larger bonfire as a backdrop.

 

As with all Scouting events, one of the retreat's goals is to provide a venue for formerly young Scouters to begin stepping forward as tomorrow's leaders. Michael Whiteley, 16, also of Troop 403, said that was a natural result of his involvement in the religious retreat over the last five years or so. "I've been asked to perform an instructor's review later today, and I also have to help my one or two new Scouts who are here with me today."

 

Published 05/10/07

[ASM915 90]

fg,

Do you have any more information on this retreat? I checked the DOW website, but was unable to find out any further info.

 

Does your Council or Diocese run retreats like this in Texas?

 

I sit on the Diocese of Youngstown's Committee on Catholic Scouting and am in a group of four who just started a Council level Committee on Catholic Scouting for the Buckeye Council. Our Diocese covers parts of three Councils, and our Council reaches into five or six different Dioceses in Ohio W. Virginia and Pa. which creates some unique problems with communication.

 

We're attempting to get space on the Diocese website for the Diocese committee and on the Council site for the our new committee so we can get information out to more people easier.

 

 

The few things that I am trying to get started are:

 

1)A retreat like the one in the article that is multi-faithed.

 

2)A retreat just for Catholic Scouts that can be tied to the Religious Emblems Award program.

 

3)Trying to form a contingency to go to NCYC in Columbus in Nov.

 

Any advice about the above that you or anyone else out there may have is welcome.

 

Eric(This message has been edited by ASM915)(This message has been edited by ASM915)

[emb021 16]

A nearby council has been doing an 'All-Faiths Camporee' for about five or so years.

 

A council I work with, the Catholic Committee organized a retreat for all the catholic scouts that went pretty well.

 

Also, some faiths may do their own religious retreats, usually aimed at units sponsored by their faith (but knowing that not all scouts may be of their faith). I believe the Mormon hold thier own retreats. In Florida for many years, the Methodist Church held an annual retreat for all troops sponsored by them at their main youth camp. Not sure if they still do so.

 

 

[fgoodwin 23]

ASM915, check out these links from the NCAC webpage:

 

http://www.boyscouts-ncac.org/pages/3543_ccos_archdiocese_of_washington.cfm

http://tinyurl.com/34uf8w

 

http://www.boyscouts-ncac.org/pages/49684_56th_annual_catholic_religious_retreat.cfm

http://tinyurl.com/2qe4rj

 

My council (Alamo Area) is blessed with an active Catholic Scouting Committee (of the Archdiocese of San Antonio). Our Protestant Committee is much less active (almost non-existent, in fact).

 

The local CCOS runs a daytime Scout Retreat every fall, usually in October. Protestants are invited, and some do come, but most of the attendees are Catholics, since the diocese supports the event and it is advertized in all the local Catholic parishes.

 

Protestant churches are much less organized (by definition), harder to organize, and thus harder to market to.

 

But the local CCOS does try to advertise the event to Cub Packs and Scout Troops through district roundtables, etc. One big difference: the local CCOS event does not include Girl Scouts, and that omission is intentional.

 

One bit of advice I can give: if you aren't on the Catholic Scouting Listserv, you should join; I'm sure you can get more advice there:

 

http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=catholic-scouting

 

There's also an annual Catholic Scouting course at Philmont that you should attend (if you haven't been already):

 

Scouting in the Catholic Church

 

http://www.scouting.org/philmont/ptc/courses/courses.cgi?c=Scouting+in+the+Catholic+Church

http://tinyurl.com/2o5cf2

 

Category: RELATIONSHIPS

 

Course Description:

 

Will equip participants to administer programs and activities to promote Scouting resources for outreach and ministry to Catholic children. Designed primarily for Scout Chaplains, Clergy, (Arch) Diocesan, or Parish Youth Ministers, NCCS Standing Committee, Regional Leadership, and Religious Activities Emblems Counselors.

 

Dates Available: 07/29/07 through 08/04/07

 

I went to the Protestant version back in 2003, and it was awesome -- I met some wonderful Scouters there, of all faiths. If you can pay your own way (course cost is $400, plus your transportaion) it is worth doing.

 

Good luck, and keep us posted.