Footprints C A THOL I C C O M M I TTE E O N SC O U TIN G D I O C ES E O F O R A N GE S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T : Duty to God: A I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Chaplain s Corner Scout Sunday Ideas St. George Brunch Person Trial Religious Emblem Training Scout Sunday St. George Brunch Archbishop Says Scouting Links Faith and Citi- 2 3 3 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 2, I S S U E 1 Duty to God: A Personal Trial In 1991 I testified in the duty to God lawsuit in Orange County. It was quite an experience and one that I will never forget or the lessons I learned. In 1991 two Cub Scouts the Randall twins were seeking their Bear rank. However, their parents refused to sign the requirement that reads Discuss your religious beliefs with your parents. Instead, the father a lawyer named James Randall demanded that his sons receive the Bear rank without completing this requirement stating that they were atheists and had no belief in God. A lawsuit was filed in Orange County courts challenging the right of the Boy Scout organization to impose any discriminatory requirement as a violation of California s Unruh Act (Civil Code Section 51). The lawsuit was based on the argument that the by Anne Lanphar Lay Chairwoman, Catholic Committee on Scouting Boy Scout organization was a business within the meaning of the law. This lawsuit was one in a series of such attacks across the nation backed by the ACLU. The defense of the lawsuit was handled by the National Boy Scout office with a terrific law firm. However, the Randall trial court matter was handled by James Randall himself. Obviously the case received major media attention...most of it was inaccurate in the reporting of the most basic facts. I am a transactional lawyer. At the time of the case, I had served as a Den Leader and Webelos Leader, District Chairman of Portola, Vice President of Field Operations and was (Continued on page 5) Duty to God Religious Emblem Training Feb. 6 Dates to Remember A Little Catholic Humor Archbishop Promotes Scouting Mission Statement 4 4 6 8 EVENT Leadership Training Conference DATE Saturday, February 6, 2010 TIME LOCATION 7:30 am 4:00 pm Santa Ana College The Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting (DCCS) will offer training for new and current Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII counselors. Training will take place at the Leadership Training Conference hosted by the Orange County Council at Santa Ana College. Learn how Scouts earn these emblems, what is required and what the committee looks for at the board of reviews. AAD counselors will receive a teaching outline of the program developed by Fr. Michael Hanifin. Note that all current Catholic Religious Emblem counselors are due for recertification at this time. Please attend this training for new program information. To register for the training, please go to the Leadership Training Conference website and choose class number GEN10 Religious Emblems for Youth and Scouts, period 3 and M1. The Orange County Council Memberships Committee will also offer training for Chaplain Aides. This class is for Boy Scouts (1st Class and above) and Venturers (all youths) and their adult advisors who want to be a Chaplain s Aide within their troop or crew.
P A G E 2 Chaplain s Corner Father Michael Hanifin, Chaplain, Eagle Scout Dear Scouts and Scouters, On February 8 th the Boy Scouts of America celebrate their 100 th Anniversary. This is a great celebration for Scouts the world over. I am thrilled to hear of the many ways that the Boy Scouts of America plan to celebrate their birthday. One of the ways is to celebrate the National Jamboree that will for the last time be held at Fort A.P. Hill outside of Fredericksburg Virginia. In the future the National Jamboree will be held in a new site in western Virginia. I will be at the National Jamboree serving as a Jamboree Chaplain once again. Some points of interest in our 100 year history include the birth of the Boy Scouts of America which took place in 1910 when William D. Boyce incorporate the name Boy Scouts of America. In 1911, James E. West became the first Chief Scout Executive and opened the first office in New York City. Ernest Thompson Seton published the first Boy Scout Handbook. In 1912 the first issue of Boy s Life was published by the Boy Scouts of America. In this year the first Eagle Scout Rank was awarded to Arthur R. Ekdred who was a member of Troop 1 in Oceanside New York. In 1934 the National Catholic Committee was born as an independent Church organization that supported the Scouting movement among Catholic Scouts and Churches. The first National Jamboree took place in 1937 in Washington DC. In 1940 Irving Berlin established a Fund to fund Scouting programs in lowincome urban areas from the royalties from the song God Bless America. In 1953 the Boy Scouts held one of their National Jamborees at Irvine Ranch in Orange County California and from this Jamboree the street Jamboree Road was born. In 1959 the Exploring program was born to serve young men age 14 years old and older. In 1998 the Venturing program was born to replace the Exploring program for high adventure experiences for high school students and college age young adults. In the year 2002 the United States Supreme Court affirmed the Boy Scouts of America s decision to require a duty to God and a Scout is Reverent as values that are imperative to belonging to the Scouting Movement. In the last 100 years the Boy Scouts has involved 112 million American boys and a quarter of a billion girls worldwide. Let us pray for a continued growth in the Scouting movement and especially and among Catholic youth. Yours in Scouting, Father Michael Hanifin Scout Chaplain Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
C A T H O L I C C O M M I T T E E O N S C O U T I N G D I O C E S E O F O R A N G E Scout Sunday BE PREPARED! 25 Ideas for Your Unit from Ed Henderson, East Texas Council Chaplain P A G E 3 The first week of February is often referred to as Scouting Anniversar y Week to commemorate the founding of the Boy Scouts of America and the issuing of our National Charter from Congress. The first Sunday in February is called SCOUT SUNDAY (The United Methodist Church recognizes this day on the 2nd Sunday in February). Scout Sabbath is February 8, 2003, the close of Scout Week. Scout Sunday is celebrated by thousands of scouts each year at Churches & Synagogues across the United States. Here are 25 ideas you can incorporate into activities this year: 1. If your unit is sponsored by a Church, arrive together & in Uniform - During the service sit together at the front of the pews. This will allow the congre- Scout Sunday (Continued on page 7) St George Brunch Adult Recognition On December 9th, adult Scouters were recognized at a special Mass and brunch at Marywood Pastoral Center for their work in promoting Duty to God and the spiritual growth of Scouts in the Diocese. Since the early days of Christianity, the pelican has been a liturgical symbol of tender care of the young by the parent and of the Church. The recipients of the Bronze Pelican award for 2009 were: Lane Calvert (OC Council) Roselito de los Reyes (St. Irenaeus) Howard Dutra (St Angela Merici) Rozanne Elsenpeter (St Angela Merici) Dean Gialam (St Angela Merici) Anne Lanphar (St Angela Merici) Megan Morris (Santa Clara de Asis) Debra J Van Driese (Santa Clara de Asis) Valeria Venagas (La Purisima) Michael Vassia (Our Lady of Guadalupe) Dan Williams (St Bonaventure) St. George is the patron saint of Scouting. The National Catholic Committee on Scouting presents the St George Award to adults for their continuing effort in the promotion of religious growth of the scouts. This year s recipients of the St. George award were: Charlene Lulling (San Francisco Solano) Lydia Yostanto (San Antonio de Padua ) The Victor Rodgers Young Adult Award was developed in 1993 to recognize adult Scouters between the ages 18 to 24 for their continued Duty to God effort in their unit. This year s recipient of the award was: Jeff Yostanto, Troop 824 In 1989 the CCS for the Diocese of Orange developed the Msgr. John F. Sammon Award to recognize the continuing effort of committee members. The recipient for 2009 was: John Melton Congratulations to all the well deserved recipients of the awards. For more information about these awards, please visit the National Committee on Scouting website at: www.nccs-bsa.org
P A G E 4 Dates to Remember Jan. 30: Religious Emblem Ceremony St. Columban Church, 9:30 am, Feb 6: Leadership Training Conference Santa Ana College(see pg 1) Feb 7: Scout Sunday Feb 8: Catholic Committee General Meeting - Scout Office, Santa Ana, 7:30 pm Feb 17: Ash Wednesday Feb 28: Pope Pius XII Santa Clara de Asis, 1:30 pm contact Fr. Mike for more info Mar 8: Catholic Committee General Meeting, Scout Office, Santa Ana, 7:30 pm The Catholic Classroom A Little Catholic Humor The top ten answers given by kids on religion tests. 1. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. 2. Lot s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. 3. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles. 4. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten amendments. 5. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. 6. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. 7. Solomon, one of David s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines. 8. When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta. 9. One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was also a taxi man. 10. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.
C A T H O L I C C O M M I T T E E O N S C O U T I N G D I O C E S E O F O R A N G E P A G E 5 Duty to God (Continued from page 1) going to move into the position of Vice President of P r o g r a m s f o r O r a n g e C o u n t y C o u n c i l. I was asked to be a percipient witness for the Boy Scouts to testify as to the trainings, meetings and operations of the Boy Scouts organization. I agreed and was subsequently prepared by the lawyers as what to expect in the courtroom. On the morning of Friday December 6, 1991, the day I was to testify, I was scared to death. I was terrified that something I might say that something I did could lead to the destruction of the Boy Scout organization, an organization that I believed in and dearly loved. I was so scared I was on the edge of tears and asked God to hold my hand and direct my testimony. Oddly enough as I entered the courtroom it seemed that my emotions were separated from my intelligence.so I was very calm and my thoughts were clear. I was the only witness that day and testified for 7 hours. The court TV camera was approximately two feet to my left in the jury box. The courtroom was filled. Randall stood close to the Boy Scout s counsel looking over their shoulders judge Richard Frazee did nothing to control him. It was a bit of a zoo As witness for the Boy Scouts, I was subject to direct examination for about 2 ½ hours. Then Randall started his cross examination. It was a long day but things went well. God was with me holding my hand. The one question that was extremely difficult to answer was how many Scout meetings I had attended where the meeting began with a prayer. Answering honestly, there were not many. After leaving the courtroom, I felt the odd situation of still having my emotions and intelligence separated. It was a strange feeling to say the least. The following day was December 7 and the Scout Fair (the name for Scout-o-Rama at that time) was scheduled at Angel Stadium. My husband Bob had taken our sons early and I was to follow. While getting dressed I was still Anne Lanphar feeling the strange separation of my emotions then God helped put me back together. December 7, 1991 was the 50 th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and President George Bush was speaking at the memorial ceremony at If we are professing that our Duty to God is first and foremost in our pledge, then we need to honor it at all times...at all meetings. Punchbowl Military Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii. During his talk he noted that he and the most of the public had come to remember the honored dead on the 50 th anniversary but every year since 1941 the Boy Scouts had honored these brave men by placing American flags on their graves I lost it and the tears flowed freely. I arrived at the Scout Fair feeling much better but another odd thing happened So many Scouters and parents came up to me and gave me a hug. I doubt if they knew what I had gone through the day before I think it was an impulse placed in them by God and through the arms of these people, God gave me a hug and helped put me back to together emotionally. I am pretty sure their actions were inspired by God since most people do not naturally tend to hug lawyers! The Boy Scouts lost at the trial court and at the Appellate level (2-1 decision). The case was appealed to the California Supreme Court combined with the LA case challenging the right of the Boy Scouts to exclude gays as leaders. 1n 1998, the California Supreme Court found in favor of the Boy Scouts in both cases in an extremely rare 7-0 decision. (Randall v Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America (1998) 17 Cal 4th 736, 952 P2d 261); Curran v Mount Diablo Council of the Boys Scouts of America (1998) 17 Cal 4 th 670, 72 Cal Rptr 2d 410, 952 P2d 218). The California Supreme Court was the end of the case since the basis of the argument was a California law. If the Boy Scouts had lost, they could have appealed to the US Supreme Court based on freedom of religion and freedom of association. Fortunately that was not necessary. The experience was a very personal one for me. I felt God s presence. I also realized that God had a lesson for us If we are professing that our Duty to God is first and foremost in our pledge, then we need to honor it at all times at all meetings. God has a sense of humor: He reminded us of our duty and used an atheist to deliver the message! I made a promise to God that I would always make sure every Scout meeting at which I was present would start with a prayer and that every time I had an opportunity to address a Scout audience I would stress the importance of honoring our pledge On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God. (Continued on page 6) Duty to God
P A G E 6 Duty to God(Continued from page 5) Interesting Side notes: 1. The trial court issued an injunction prohibiting the OC Council from refusing to advance the Randall twins for failing to adhere to the duty to God. The boys were allowed to advance and ultimately achieved the rank of Life Scouts. They had completed all aspects of their Eagle rank but the court ruling was issued just prior to the issuance of the ranks. Accordingly the Council refused to issue the Eagle rank to the twins. On evening TV, the boys, ages 17 were crying in disappointment but publicly stated that they were still going to tell everyone that they were Eagle Scouts. 2. During the years prior to the California Supreme court ruling, the Randall twins were often seen visiting the religious emblems booth at the Scout Fairs until they would see their father. 3. James Randall, attained the rank of Second Class as a youth. His brother became an Eagle Scout. Their father was a devout Catholic who was terribly embarrassed by the actions of his son in bringing this case against the Boy Scouts. 4. Let us remember to thank God that we live in a country governed by laws that protect our freedom of religion and freedom of association and to never take it for granted. Archbishop Says Scouting Links Faith & Citizenship Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz By EFFIE CALDAROLA Catholicanchor.org If you ve only observed Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from a distance, you may think of them as just another American secular organization that teaches kids how to pitch a tent and be prepared. In fact, according to Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, who has a whole bagful of his own Scouting patches, Scouting has a definite spiritual side, and he hopes to encourage more Catholic kids to participate in Scouting. Scouting builds character; it gives kids goals and self-confidence as they reach those goals, the archbishop told the Anchor. When you can put that together with faith, it s marvelous. Pairing Scouting with faith is inherent to the program, according to Kim Bakic, who is executive secretary to Archbishop Schwietz. She has been heavily involved in Scouting for years. There are over 100 religious Scouting awards given out by various denominations, said Bakic, who serves on the Alaska Catholic Committee on Scouting. Bakic stressed that your faith is an expression of regular Scouting. Scouts, in addition to being trustworthy, loyal, thrifty and kind are urged to be reverent. Catholics and Mormons make up two of the largest religious bodies involved in Scouting. Archbishop Schwietz enthusiasm for Scouting led him to appoint one of the newly ordained deacons, Harry Moore of Palmer, to serve as his liaison to the program. I ve always had a strong interest in youth ministry, said Deacon Moore. His own son was once a Scout, and he hopes to help form and promote Catholic Scouting. Although some troops are organized through parishes or Catholic schools, there s no such thing as a Catholic troop. Scout troops are open to all faiths, and within each troop, youngsters of various faiths can pursue their religious patches and awards by seeking out a faith mentor. Each Catholic award has a list of requirements for attaining it, and each is mentored by Catholic adults. There are also religious activities, like the rosary series and the Footsteps of American Saints. Bakic said these awards and activities help kids realize that their religious beliefs apply to their whole lives. When I was helping with the Pius XII award, we discussed social things, like the death penalty, just and unjust war and abortion, Bakic said. We talked about how within five years, some of you might have women in your lives who are talking about abortion. You need to see how the world thinks and what the church stands for. Like the Knights of Columbus, Scouts are a bridge between our faith and our citizenship, said Archbishop Schwietz. In Scouting, you grow as Americans as you grow into your faith.
C A T H O L I C C O M M I T T E E O N S C O U T I N G D I O C E S E O F O R A N G E P A G E 7 (Continued from page 3) Scout Sunday gation to see you and make your unit more visible to church members. If the church you attend does not have a Scouting program, come to Church in your Scout Uniform. Many pastors are aware of Scout Sunday and will discuss it at some point in the service. Often there will be quite a number of Scouts and Adults in uniform at this service. If possible, share your plans with your pastor, rabbi, or minister so they will be aware of Scout Sunday. 2. Have your Scouts serve as Ushers during the service. 3. Have Scouts serve as Alter Bearers during the processional. Depending on your church's beliefs & customs, it may be appropriate to bring in the colors during the service 4. Have scouts lead the congregation in the responsive readings or as lectors when bible verses are to be read. If appropriate, choose from among several that incorporate the Scout Oath or Law. 5. Have a display in the hallway about scouting or present Scouting on a bulletin board. Try to sign up new members for your Pack or Troop 6. Have a Saturday Night lock-in at the church, perhaps arrange a model campsite. It will attract a lot of attention on Sunday morning and many church members will want to visit the campsite and ask questions about the troop. 7. Have the scouts be in charge of the refreshments. Make it even more interesting by having the scouts cook some of their Dutch oven favorites 8. Present a plaque of the Eagle Scouts from the Church Sponsored unit or try to schedule an Eagle Scout Ceremony either as a part of the church service or immediately after. These are impressive events and will draw the interest of your church members. 9. Have members of the Congregation who were in Scouting or are Eagle Scouts Stand Up. You may also want to ask Girl Scout Members or those who have earned the Gold Award to also stand. 10. Use Scout Sunday to award religious emblems that your scouts have earned. 11. Present Adult Leader Religious Award recognition. These awards are by nomination only. It is a great way to recognize members of the congregation who have been involved in Scouting over a number of years. 12. If your troop has recently re-chartered, consider having the Charter formerly presented by the Pastor or a Local Scouting official to the Church. 13. Earn your Church's Religious Award for the Unit. Most church sponsored units can earn a special recognition for unit itself that is very similar to a BSA Quality Unit Award. Check with your church body's Scouting Committee to see what the requirements for the award are for your faith. 14. If you have been a Scouter long enough, chances are you have a cabinet full of Coffee Mugs. Consider donating them to the church's pantry. During the refreshment break after church all of the parishioners will be drinking coffee, talking to each other, and will be looking directly at your Scouting Coffee mugs for years to come - it is a great way to remind all in the church that there is a Scout Troop there. 15. Many Councils conduct a Scouting for Food drive as a part of Scout Week. Let the congregation know that your troop will be collecting canned goods and other non perishable items before and after the service. 16. Conduct a Service Project Work Day after the service. There are often many projects that need help at a church and a Sunday afternoon may be a great time so do some of these. A church based Eagle Project is often a great event to schedule on a Scout Sunday. 17. Let your more responsible Scouts offer to run the church's Nursery during the service so the regular members can worship with their families. 18. Have your Troop Historian prepare a photo spread of your troop and have the pictures on display as members enter the church so they can see what scouts do. 19. Does your church give scouts a separate building to hold meetings in? Try having an open house with the scouts demonstrating various skills. Have refreshments served there so everyone will stop by after the service to see what scouts can do. 20. If appropriate, have one of your scouts deliver a message or sermon during the service. 21. Some units have a program where scouts are recognized for wearing their uniforms to church on a regular basis. 22. Construct and erect a sign on the church property noting that the church sponsors a Scout Troop, Pack, Girl Scouts, etc. with meeting times. Be sure to check for any city ordinances before doing this. The sign is a great way to build community awareness about Scouting. 23. Consider using the BSA's Church Bulletin covers to print the Church Bulletin on. Supply Division has several excellent selections that will add a lot to the service. 24. Have the Troop's Chaplain Aide offer one of the prayers during the service.
Catholic Committee on Scouting Diocese of Orange 22005 AVENIDA DE LA PAZ YORBA LINDA, CA 92887 Footprints Catholic Committee on Scouting Diocese of Orange CHAIRMAN CHAPLAIN OCBSA REPRESENTATIVE SECRETARY TREASURER VICE CHAIRMAN COMMUNICATIONS CHAIRMAN RELIGIOUS EMBLEMS CHAIRMAN TRAINING CHAIRMAN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES CHAIRMAN MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Anne Lanphar Fr. Michael Hanifin Jim Petersen Hunter Piper Charlene Lulling Roselito De Los Reyes Jan Hill Howard Dutra VOCATIONS CHAIRMAN John Melton YOUTH REPRESENTATIVES Jeff Yostanto Zachary Hazard MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting (DCCS) is to implement the mission of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange by working in conjunction with the applicable diocesan offices. The DCCS s primary goals are: To encourage each Catholic Scout and Scouter to perform their duty to God by living their faith on a daily basis and to assist youth to participate in the Religious Emblem and Activities programs, Scouter Development-Lay Apostolate Training, religious encounters, Scout Sunday, and other religious programs ( DCCS Programs ). To advocate, strengthen and support relationships between Catholic parishes, schools and organizations and the Orange County Council, BSA ( OCBSA ) including sponsoring new Scout units. The stated goals will be accomplished by: Developing a network of trained DCCS representatives to work at both the District and unit levels to promote the DCCS Programs. Providing quality training to support the DCCS Programs. Effectively communicating the availability of the DCCS Programs. Collaborating with the OCBSA Relationships Committee and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange and his various Diocesan Offices.