Atlanta Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting. Newsletter. Volume 11 Number 1 August Intent to Begin Classes Forms

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1 Atlanta Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting Newsletter Volume 11 Number 1 August 2012 Intent to Begin Classes Forms All counselors preparing to start AAD and Pius classes should insure they all have their Child Protection Forms up to date through their parish in addition to preparing and sending the Intent To Start forms for classes to Tommy Treat for Boy Scouts and Jackie Welch for Girl Scouts. These forms are mandatory for all classes and can be found on our Committee website under Resources and Library. Update on Training Several people attended Boy Scout Counselor/Facilitator training with Deacon Tom Gotschall on Saturday, August 4, 2012, at St. Andrew Catholic Church for both Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII Religious Emblems. If you have any questions or would like to become a trained Counselor/Facilitator and could not attend that training session, you may contact him at If you would like to work with the girls on either Mary The First Disciple or The Spirit Alive Awards, please contact Lou Ann Piantieri at In order to work with either the older boys or girls on the above emblems, you must be a trained, certified Counselor/Facilitator. Both Lou Ann and Deacon Tom are more than happy to schedule training sessions as needed and wherever needed. In addition to the above mentioned training, you must also be up to date with your Archdiocesan Youth Protection training with your parish. We are always looking for dedicated people to become Counselors/Facilitators for our youth programs. National Catholic Quality Unit Award It is that time of the year again whereby we review our units for Quality Unit Status (Journey to Excellence as it is now called) and also National Catholic Quality Unit Award status. The requirements are easy to complete and if you are providing a quality program throughout the year, then this will be easy to complete. Wouldn t it be great to recognize a large number of Cub Packs, Boy Scout Troops and Venture Crews at the Archdiocesan Scout Mass this April? See attached form for requirements.

2 2013 St. George Trek Applicants Named We are happy to announce the two Scouts who have been selected by the Committee to attend the 2013 St George Trek at Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico sponsored by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Each Diocese/Archdiocese is permitted to nominate two scouts for the trek which is held every two years. This year s nominees to NCCS are Matthew G. of Troop 1776, Catholic Church of St Ann, Marietta, GA and Luke P. of Troop 550, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Atlanta, GA. Congratulations to these scouts and good luck on your Trek. Archbishop John Francis Donoghue Award The Atlanta Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting has initiated a new Award and a way to honor the late Archbishop John Francis Donoghue. Archbishop Donoghue, our Archbishop from 1993 till 2004, was a big supporter of Scouting and this is our way to recognize him and his contributions to Scouting in this Archdiocese. This Award will also recognize clergy or religious men and women for their contributions to the promotion of Scouting in the Catholic Church. A copy of the nomination form is attached to this newsletter. Two Footsteps of American Saints Canonizations Two more worthy candidates under the Footsteps of American Saints Religious Activity program have been cleared to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI this October. Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will be the first Native American Saint when she is canonized a Saint on Sunday, October 21, 2012, at the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI. She is often referred to as either the Patroness of the Environment and Ecology or the Lily of the Mohawks. In addition to Blessed Kateri, Blessed Mother Marianne Cope, OSF, will also be canonized a Saint on the 21st at the Vatican. Blessed Mother Marianne was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. She cared for Hansens Disease (leprosy) patients for three decades beginning in the late 1880 s on Molokai in Hawaii with St. Damien of Molokai. Their last miracles have been confirmed which cleared the way for them to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. Introduced in 2008 by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, the Footsteps of American Saints Activity Program encourages youth to learn about several different individuals who have shaped the American landscape of Catholicism in America. This religious activity honors those men and women who led heroic lives of faith. Their words, deeds and devotion to prayer and the sacraments inspire all American Catholics. In the Church calendar for the United States, some have the title of Saint and are venerated by the universal church, while others have the title of Blessed and are venerated by the local church. Some also have the title of Venerable and, while on

3 their way to becoming a Saint, may be venerated by Catholics. All of them sought to follow Jesus. The goal is to share the lives of several Saints so that the youth may relate to what these people have done and maybe look to these individuals as role models. The Saints with memorials were introduced first, then Saints with optional memorials. The following Saints who were introduced in 2009 and 2010 as Blessed have since been canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican: Blessed Damien of Molokai (who was canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009), and Blessed Andre Bessette (who was canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010). Three New People Added to Footsteps of American Saints The NCCS has approved the addition of three more worthy people to their Footsteps of American Saints Religious Activity. They are Venerable Fr. Michael J. McGivney, the founder of the Knight of Columbus, credited with being the Protector of Christian Life, confessor of souls, Servant of Charity, and Man of Pastoral Action; St. George, the Patron Saint of Boy Scouts who was tortured and eventually killed for standing up for Christians; and St. Juan Diego, the Virgin Mary appeared to him and requested he go and ask the bishop to have a church built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico. He also found Castilian roses blooming in December and carried them to the bishop in his cloak (tilma). When he poured them out, a beautiful image of Mary appeared on his cloak. For a complete listing of all the Saints included in this program and the requirements for earning the patches, please see the National Catholic Committee s website at and under Youth go to Religious Activities section. This is available to both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of all ages. Questions? Contact Mary Ellen Yeomans at or meyeomans@bellsouth.net. Duty to God Encampment The 2012 Atlanta Area Council Encampment is scheduled for the weekend of October 26-28, 2012, at Bert Adams Scout Reservation. Online registration will be available soon on the Council website. In addition to all the activities of the day on Saturday, we will have a Sunday Vigil Mass at 7 PM prior to the campfire. See the attached flyer for more information. Banner Year for Pillars of Faith for Boy Scouts The 2012 Archdiocesan Scout Mass was held on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Kennesaw with Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory as the principal celebrant. Each year the Mass recognizes and honors all the young men and women for their hard work, adults for their contributions to Catholic Scouting

4 within the Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Camp Fire Programs and Units for their accomplishments during the past year. The following young women were recognized as having completed their Marian Award, Mary, The First Disciple: Catholic Church of St. Ann Jessica L. and Erika S.; Catholic Church of St. Monica--Julia D., Anna F., Catherine F. and Rosemary S.; Catholic Church of the Transfiguration Paola B., Megan O., Maria S. and Maggie W.; St. John Neumann Gabrielle G. and Kristina G. In addition to the above mentioned girls, there were a number of young women who completed and received their The Spirit Alive Award: All Saints Catholic Church Meghan D.; Holy Spirit Catholic Church Sabrina A., Sarah C. and Carson H.; St. John Neumann Gabrielle G. and Kristina G.; St. Jude the Apostle- Elizabeth B. Not to be outdone by the girls, the following young men also were recognized for having completed their Ad Altare Dei Religious Emblem: Corpus Christi Catholic Church Joe P.; Good Shepherd Catholic Church Cumming Clay C., Jason P. and Michael S.; Holy Cross Catholic Church Anthony D.; Holy Trinity Catholic Church Victor C. and William O.; Mary Our Queen Norcross Jacob H.; Our Lady of Perpetual Help Nico B., Maguire K., Steven P., Ryan S., William S. and Brandon Y.; Catholic Church of St. Ann David A., Collin C. and Brian T.; St. Catherine of Siena Shawn M.; St. John Vianney Lithia Springs Myles R.; Catholic Church of St. Monica Thomas A., Joseph L. and Patrick S.; St. Peter Chanel--Roswell Jacob B.; St. Thomas More Decatur Gabriel H.; and Catholic Church of the Transfiguration Andrew B., Dominick D. and Daniel F. Among the older Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts, there were a number of young men and women who received their Pope Pius XII Award: Good Shepherd Cumming Andrew P. and Matthew P.; Catholic Church of St. Ann Jacob A.; St. Catherine of Siena Coleen D., Connor D., Christopher D., Matthew K., Alec L., Tyler L., and Gabrielle M.; St. John Neumann Lilburn David C., Matthew C., Kristina G., Daniel O., Jennifer R., and Jonathan R.; Catholic Church of the Transfiguration Marietta Joshua B., Stephen D., Dillon G., Austin H., Kevin H., Nicholas R., Patrick T., Ryan T. and Allyn W. It is unusual for many young people to complete some of their Religious Emblems never mind all four of them. The following young women and men, however, have done just that task and will be awarded their Pillars of Faith Award. Having completed their Family of God, I Live My Faith, Marian Award, Mary the First Disciple and The Spirit Alive, Meghan D. All Saints Catholic Church and Sabrina A. and Carson H. Holy Spirit Catholic Church received their Pillars of Faith Service to God Award. Having completed their Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII Religious Emblems, Andrew P. and Matthew P. Good Shepherd

5 Catholic Church Cumming; Connor D., Christopher D., Matthew K. and Alec L. St. Catherine of Siena; Daniel O. and Jonathan R. St. John Neumann Lilburn; Joshua B., Stephen D., Dillon G., Austin H., Nicholas R., Patrick T., Ryan T., and Allyn W. Catholic Church of the Transfiguration Marietta received their Pillars of Faith Duty to God Award. This is the largest number of Pillars of Faith Duty to God Awards we have presented at one time. This year we had one Girl Scout who not only completed all four of her Girl Scout Religious Emblems but also as a Venture Scout completed the Pope Pius XII Emblem. In recognition of her accomplishment, Tyler L., St. Catherine of Siena, received a special certificate of recognition for her accomplishment. Along with the Religious Emblems presented to these young people, there were others who completed and received their International Awareness Award. Among them are: Catholic Church of St. Ann Matthew G.; Corpus Christi Catholic Church Joseph P.; Holy Cross Catholic Church Anthony D.; Immaculate Heart of Mary School Joseph B., Oliver K., Steven P., Matthew P., Oskar P., Arun R. and Evan W.; St. John Vianney Lithia Springs Myles R.; St. Thomas More Decatur Gabe H. and University Catholic Center at Emory David V. There were several adults who were also recognized this year for their contributions to Catholic Scouting and the youth: They include: Jim A. and Bill T.-- Catholic Church of St. Ann; Marty Bovas-B., Joseph C. and James L. Immaculate Heart of Mary; Donald R. St. Peter Chanel Roswell; Richard B. and Katie B. St. Thomas Aquinas Alpharetta and Christopher H. Catholic Church of the Transfiguration Marietta and all received the Bronze Pelican Award, (Arch)Diocesan Award for Boy Scouts. Both Deacon Tom R. St. Catherine of Siena and Tom M. Catholic Church of St. Ann received the St. George Award, a national recognition, for their contributions to the Boy Scouts programs. Besides individual awards and recognitions, several units in the Archdiocese were also recognized for their outstanding programs and service during the past year. They included: Cub Scout Pack 550 Immaculate Heart of Mary School; Cub Scout Pack 1134 Queen of Angels Catholic School and Cub Scout Pack 1776 Catholic Church of St. Ann; Boy Scout Troop 75 Catholic Church of the Transfiguration and Boy Scout Troop 1776 Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of LaSallette 8376, Catholic Church of St. Ann who all were recognized with the National Catholic Quality Unit Award (aka Pope Paul VI Unit Award) sponsored by the Boy Scout National Catholic Committee on Scouting. The final two Unit Awards presented were the Chaplain s Cup and the Bishop s Trophy. The Chaplain s Cup is presented to the Pack, Troop, Venture Crew or Ship as selected by the Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting for their outstanding participation in scouting programs and worthy of recognition by the Committee for their Scouting and Religious Emblem programs. The 2012 recipient of the Chaplain s Cup in recognition for their 2011 activities was Pack 1134, Queen of Angels Catholic School Roswell.

6 The top Unit Award that all Catholic Units both Boy Scout and Girl Scout should strive for each year is the Bishop s Trophy. Judging for the trophies (Boy Scout and Girl Scout) is comprised of two main objectives: Scouting and Religion. Considered under the Scouting objective is the size of the Unit in regard to the number of advancements and service projects for the Church and community. The Religious objective covers Religious Emblems, Days of Refection, Retreats and religious campouts. The 2012 recipient of the Boy Scout Bishop s Trophy is Boy Scout Troop 75, Transfiguration Catholic Church Marietta. No Girl Scout troop applied for the Girl Scout Bishop s Trophy this year. As a token of our appreciation, the AACCOS recognized the Pastor, Monsignor Hugh M. Marren, Pastor Emeritus, Monsignor Donald R. Kiernan and Administrative Assistant, Mary Rolfes of All Saints Catholic Church and presented them with a plaque. For the last several years All Saints has opened their doors to our Committee for our quarterly meetings. They have helped us along our journey to accomplish our vision of providing opportunities for both the youth and adults of the Archdiocese to grow in their spiritual development; help foster youth ministry in the Archdiocese and help guide the youth to make ethical choices for their future. In 2012, the Atlanta Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting introduced a new award as a way to honor the late Archbishop John Francis Donoghue. Archbishop Donoghue, our Archbishop from 1993 through 2004, was a big supporter of Scouting and this is our way to recognize him and his contributions to Scouting in this Archdiocese. This Award will also recognize clergy or religious men and women for their contributions to the promotion of Scouting in the Catholic Church. The first recipient of the Archbishop John Francis Donoghue Award is Fr. John Kieran, Pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Conyers. Fr. John was the first Chaplain for this Committee which he formed in 1968 and led for 23 years. It began as a Boy Scout Committee and later in the early 1980 s he formed a Girl Scout Committee. By the 1990 s, the two separate Committees were combined into one and renamed the Atlanta Archdiocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting. Fr. John also began the Atlanta Area Council s Duty to God Encampment and after several years under successful Catholic leadership, the Council took it over and has run it ever since. Fr. John has also been awarded the National Catholic Committee on Scouting s St. George Emblem. The Committee strives to maintain the standards Fr. John set in place in 1968 by his presence and steady leadership and remains committed to expanding the religious opportunities offered to our Catholic Boy and Girl Scouts. Fr. John, we thank you for your efforts in starting this Committee. It would not have been possible without your expertise, dedication and more importantly your vision of the value of the religious side of Scouting. The last award given was one that recognized the Archdiocese of Atlanta as a Quality Diocese. We joined many other (Arch)Dioceses across the country in this recognition. There are criteria to be followed in order to be considered and this is ATLANTA S NINTH YEAR IN A ROW to be recognized with this honor. Not many others hold this distinction. This award was first introduced in 2002.

7 Chairman s Corner We would like to thank everyone for their help and assistance thus far this year from counselors, parental support and all the scouts who have participated in emblems programs this year we hope you have enjoyed the programs and grown as a Catholic Scout through them. A special thanks to Father John Matejek and his Staff at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Kennesaw, GA for hosting this year s Archbishop s Scout Mass and Boards of Review they did a super job for everyone. We look forward to our 2013 Mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Our job as Committee Members is to guide the programs for our Catholic Scouts but we always need input from units, leaders and parents along the way. For those of you who are experienced Ad Altare Dei Counselors, there is a new book out but it is not rewritten only the cover has changed. At least for this year both the new book (white cover with stripes) and the older red cover book may still be used. At this time there is no new Counselor s Guide but NCCS is hoping to have a new one out either by the end of this year or early next year. At this time the Counselor s Guide that is available works with both books. If you still have any of the red cover Student s Workbooks by all means use them. If you are interested in becoming a member of our Archdiocesan Committee on Scouting, we are always looking for fresh ideas and new members to assist with our programs to insure we provide a quality program for our Catholic Scouts in the Archdiocese that will help them mold their future. If you are interested, please contact Deacon Tom Gotschall, Chaplain or Tommy Treat, Chairman. Please check our website for information during the year on meetings and programs in addition to information on committee member contacts for any questions you may have. Also check our calendar at the end of this newsletter for our upcoming meetings and our Annual Program Planning Meeting on January 26, Our meetings are always open to all interested persons. Our 2013 Archdiocesan Scout Mass is scheduled for Saturday, April 27th, beginning at 1 PM, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Boards of Review are set for Saturday, March 23 rd, at 9 AM, at Holy Spirit. There will only be ONE Board of Review date this coming year. More information will follow in the next newsletter. Congratulations to all Catholic Scout Units and Catholic Scouts - I have received a report that shows of all religions nationwide, there were 40,568 Religious Emblems earned by Cubs, Webelos, Boy Scouts and Ventures and Catholics had 19,162 for a little over 47% - that is a terrific job by a lot of dedicated Scouts and Scouters. Unit, adult and Bishop s Trophy applications will be coming out shortly. Tommy Treat

8 International Awareness Recognition The International Catholic Conference on Scouting, a world wide organization, offers to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of all levels as well as Scouters the opportunity to earn a Pin, Patch and/or Medallion Recognition. While the program has been in existence previously, the activities have either been expanded or been completely revised and new activities added. There are now four levels of activities Cub Scout/ Brownie/Daisy Requirements (1-5 grade); Younger Boy Scout and Girl Scout Requirements (6-8 grade); older Boy and Girl Scout/Venturing (9 th grade and up) and Scouter Requirements. The ICCS provides an opportunity for its members to come together as friends in the Catholic Church and links the Catholic Church and the Scouting Movement all over the world. It contributes to the education of young people through Scouting from the point of view of the Catholic faith. It develops and enhances the spiritual dimension of Scouting in the World Scout Movement. The Pope appoints priests to work with the ICCS as chaplains or ecclesiastical associates. This is an activity of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting s International Committee and not a religious emblem program or award. The requirements may also be found on the NCCS Website under Youth and Religious Activities. Questions? Contact Mary Ellen Yeomans. ARCHDIOCESAN CATHOLIC COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES (please check our website for additional information and updates) September 8 th October th November 17 th January 26, 2013 March 23 rd March 23 rd April 27 th AACCOS Meting, All Saints Catholic Church, Monsignor Kiernan Scout Hut, 9:30 AM Duty to God Encampment, Bert Adams Scout Reservation ACCOS Day of Reflection and Meeting, Holy Spirit Catholic Church Annual Program Planning Meeting, All Saints Catholic Church, Monsignor Kiernan Scout Hut, 9:00 AM All Archdiocesan Scout Boards of Review, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 9:00 AM AACCOS Quarterly Meeting, immediately following Boards of Review Archdiocesan Scout Mass, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1:00 PM with Archbishop Gregory COMMITTEE CONTACTS Chaplain Deacon Tom Gotschall Assistant Chaplain Fr. Robert Frederick Chairman Tommy Treat Vice Chairman Phil Krajec

9 Girl Scout Emblems Tom & Jackie Welch Boy Scout & Cub Scout Emblems Tommy Treat Membership Chairman Bill Leach Girl Scout Membership Chairman Jackie Welch Secretary Mary Daube Treasurer Vickie Voll Communications Chairman Mary Ellen Yeomans Boy Scout Training Chairman Deacon Tom Gotschall Girl Scout Training Chairman Lou Ann Piantieri Religious Activities Chairman Don Ross Knights of Columbus Liaison Webmaster Bill Leach COMMITTEE BSA CONTACTS AAC Religious Relations Liaison Tommy Treat Atlanta Area Council Chaplain TBA NE GA Committee Chair Phil Krajec NE GA Council Interfaith Comm. Leo Schiltgen NW Georgia Council Chaplain TBA Flint River Council Verna Funk Central Georgia Council TBA Chattahoochee Council TBA GA Carolina Council TBA COMMITTEE GIRL SCOUT CONTACTS The Girl Scout Council Tom & Jackie Welch of Greater Atlanta and Lou Ann Piantieri Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia AMERICAN HERITAGE GIRLS/CAMPFIRE USA CONTACTS American Heritage Girls Representative Georgia Campfire Representative TBA TBA Website NCCS Website

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11 Archbishop John Francis Donoghue Award Nomination Form THE AWARD RECOGNIZES CLERGY OR RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROMOTION OF SCOUTING IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. NOMINEE NAME: PARISH: NOMINATED BY: WHY DOES THE NOMINEE DESERVE RECOGNITION? (BE SPECIFIC): ADDITIONAL SCOUTING, COMMUNITY, RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. (ATTACH SEPARATE RESUME IF DESIRED.):

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