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Scouting provides opportunities leading to holiness, Bishop says
By Tim Puet
Catholic Times
Bishop Frederick Campbell told diocesan Boy and Girl Scouts and their parents at the annual Scout Day with the Bishop program that no matter what they may do in life, they all were made to be holy.
The Scripture reading for the midafternoon prayer service on Sunday, Jan. 24, at the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany was 2 Timothy 1:9, which speaks of holiness as something for which God has created all of us.
“You heard a very wonderful thing,” the bishop said. “By the grace of Jesus Christ, God has called each of you to a life of holiness. This is the vocation of every one of us in the Church today. We are called to be holy.”
He said that when many people hear the word “holy,” “They think of something ‘professional,’ the holiness one might find in a bishop, deacon, priest, or nun. But each of us is holy in our own way.”
Bishop Campbell said his definition of holiness includes four parts. “First is to love God above all things and to show that love of God in your life by what you do, what you say, and especially by your acts of worship,” he said.
“Second is to follow as closely as possible in Jesus’ footsteps. We don’t have to live like Jesus and his disciples, but we do have to know who Jesus is, what he did, how he lived, and what he said as closely as possible, so that when people see us, they will say ‘There is a follower of Christ.’”
The bishop’s third instruction to Scouts was to know their faith well. “Scouting has many programs to help you do this,” he said. “Other young men and women will ask you what it means to be Catholic, and you want to be able to tell them.”
The final part of his definition was to serve God by serving others. “In the Scouting program, you learn honor, charity, and reverence for God,” he said. “To know Jesus is to know what it means to be a feeling person. If you remember that, you will make one particular bishop very happy.”
More than 200 Scouts and adult leaders were recognized as recipients of Catholic religious awards in 2009.
Receiving the St. George Award from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting were Denny Bumb of the Church of the Resurrection and Steve Smith of Columbus St. Margaret of Cortona Church.
This award may be presented to any adult working on the Scouting program. It also may be given to clerics, laity, or Scouters of other faiths. Its purpose is to recognize outstanding contributions to the spiritual development of Catholic youth.
Bumb has held a variety of leadership positions in Scouting and currently serves as scoutmaster of Troop 314 at St. Matthias. He is a counselor for several merit badges and is an adviser for the Arrowhead District crew that revolves around shooting sports.
He is past training chairman, attended NOAC training in 2009, and attended the religious emblems training program this past year. He also is active with the combined Cub Scout pack of St. Matthias and Columbus St. Anthony Church.
Smith is committee chairman of Troop 33 of Columbus and was its scoutmaster for six years. He also was committee chairman of Cub Pack 86 for five years. Both the troop and the pack are sponsored by Parkview United Methodist Church.
He has served as religious emblems coordinator for the pack and helped many Cub Scouts from various faiths and various units earn their respective religious awards. He and his family have paid fees and arranged physicals so members of the troop and pack who could not otherwise afford it could attend summer camp.
Recipients of the Bronze Pelican Award were Dave Burd of Newark St. Francis de Sales, Carl Lefevre of Lancaster St. Mark, Tom Liszkay of Gahanna St. Matthew, David Manning of Columbus St. Elizabeth, Pat Tippett of Columbus St. Matthias, and Sue York of Plain City St. Joseph.
This award is presented by the diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting to individuals who have performed exceptional service to the Scouting program through their contributions to the spiritual development of Catholic youth.
Burd has been cubmaster of St. Francis de Sales Pack 8 since 2007. He has organized religious-based service projects every year, such as helping at the Children of Mary’s convent, working at the church, setting up luminaries during the Christmas season, helping with Lenten soup dinners, and starting an aluminum can recycling program to help pay for rehabilitation of the church’s stained-glass windows.
He also developed and continues to expand the pack’s religious emblem program, coordinates Mass attendance at every camp outing regardless of location, promotes participation in the Catholic Scout Camporee, and ties the church’s “virtue of the month” into his talks at pack meetings.
Lefevre helped establish and maintain St. Mark’s pack, troop, and Venture crew and is the charter organization representative for his parish, an instructor at the University of Scouting, associate lodge adviser for the Order of the Arrow, youth and adult adviser for OA conclaves, and organizer of a powwow for 100 years of Scouting.
Liszkay is scoutmaster of his church’s troop and consistently provides service opportunities to allow young people to help the disadvantaged, the poor, the hungry, and the sick. He has welcomed youths of all faiths to his troop.
He regularly has a Scout chaplain’s aide lead the troop in prayer before activities, constantly reminds Scouts of the importance of prayer before meals, and ensures that adults on campouts also ask God’s blessing at meals. In addition, he takes time during meetings to remind Scouts of upcoming holy days and Catholic Boy Scout events.
Manning is assistant scoutmaster of Troop 314. He is active in weekend camping and weekly meetings, and has helped cook for Catholic Committee events and the Catholic Scout Camporee. He is involved in an inner-city Cub Scout pack with special projects and the Pinewood Derby, and has helped with the woodcraft class at council powwows for more than 10 years. He also is involved with St. Stephen’s Community House and in many aspects of his parish.
Tippett is the committee chair for both the pack and the troop at St. Matthias. She has been instrumental in sustaining both units and keeping Catholic identity as an important part of their programs. She is passionate about the boys living the Scout Law and being active in their pack, troop, and parish. She also played a key role in the merger of Troop 314 into Troop 310.
York is a member of Hilliard St. Brendan Church, but works at Plain City St Joseph as program director, volunteer director, and bookkeeper. She has been a Girl Scout leader for 10 years and is helping a group of girls work on their Bronze Award projects. Last year, she developed a talent show through which the girls earned money to make blankets, which they donated to children changing foster homes.
She has helped with summer day camp, facilitated leader training for her service area, and helped create a jump-start workshop to help Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts complete religious emblem requirements at home during the summer. She also coached and guided her troop to create a Rosary recording at St. Gabriel Radio.
Receiving the Red Sash of Merit was Nick Larkin of Marion This serves as an award for outstanding Catholic Scouts in the Diocese of Columbus, usually high school students, who have already earned the Ad Altare Dei emblem for Boy Scouts or the Marian Medal for Girl Scouts. These Scouts demonstrate leadership, accept responsibility, and are active in their troop, community, and parish.
Larkin has participated in every Catholic emblems program that has been provided to him. He has served on the staff for the St. Tarcisius program and has served his church as an altar server, Life Teen member, youth ministry member, and Venture Crew 50 initial member, and helps with two projects annually with the St. Mary outreach committee.
He also has participated in the Salvation Army red kettle drive for six years and is a leader for the annual Scouting for Food fund drive each year.
Honored as the Bishop’s Troop for the second straight year was Boy Scout Troop 50 of Marion St. Mary. The Bishop’s Pack was Cub Pack 117 of Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare. Reynoldsburg St. Pius X was recognized as the Bishop’s Parish for its overall Girl Scout program. A certificate of merit was presented to Troop 310 of Columbus St. Matthias.
Catholic Scouts and adult leaders have the opportunity during the course of a year to earn several medals or patches by studying and displaying their knowledge of various aspects of the Faith.
These include the Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei awards for Cub Scouts; the Ad Altare Dei medal for Boy Scouts; the Family of God, I Live My Faith, Marian, and Spirit Alive programs for Girl Scouts and Camp Fire members; and the Pope Pius XII medal for Boy and Girl Scouts and Camp Fire members. All these awards are sanctioned by the national Scouting organizations.
In addition, the diocesan committee sponsors a number of awards programs of its own, all of which are open to Boy and Girl Scouts, Camp Fire members, and adult leaders. These are the St. Tarcisius, International Awareness, Santa Maria, Founders of Faith, Pope John Paul II, and Rosary Patch awards and, added this year, the Footsteps of American Saints program.
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