My Return to (Catholic) Scouting

Why Catholics should join and remain in the Boy Scouts of America

If you’d like to help my newly chartered Pack and Troop please consider supporting our fundraiser by purchasing a Christmas wreath (or other Christmas items) this year by going to www.GiftItForward.com & using fundraising code: PK127IL001

I grew up across the river in a sleepy little town from where I live now. A town with a main street, like you may have seen recreated at a Disney park, with three stoplights.  I also grew up in Scouting. My Dad, a quiet and studious man, was either the Scoutmaster or the assistant Scoutmaster my entire childhood. All of the Scouts would flock to him with his storytelling, jokes, and his wisdom in scoutcraft.

My older brother—fifteen years older—was always the Eagle Scout from my earliest memories, so it was expected somewhat I follow the same path. And so, I earned the highest award in Cub Scouting—the Arrow of Light, and the highest award in Scouting—Eagle. At the Eagle Board of Review, I had been asked how as an Eagle will I give back to Scouting. I said something of the nature, “I am sure when I have kids, I’ll be back involved in Scouting.” I earned my Eagle in 2003 and followed the path of many of my fellow Eagles by going to college and completely disconnecting from Scouting all together. I felt the separation natural after changes in Scouting in the 2010s. The program was different than I had experience as a youth, so I didn’t have to uphold my end of becoming an Eagle Scout.

My path back to Scouting began to adjust in 2010 when my Dad died in a car accident. Scouting was such an important aspect of his life and how he related to his own boys. He understood the spirit of adventure is in every child but needs to be positively directed as a child matures into adulthood. So, a parent may want to know why they should have their child join Scouting? I pose to them this question, “which way do you want to describe your child at their graduation: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, or reverent? Those are the qualities learned in Scouting.”

I came across an article written by a fellow Catholic writer,

Will Wright

, of Good Distinctions, titled “Should Catholics Join the Boy Scouts?” I have debated whether including my disagreement with Wright’s opinion in this article, but I think it is key for leaping into my reasons for Catholics to join BSA programs.

The Scouting programs provides the medium for youth to develop self-confidence, leadership skills, good citizenry skills, and moral living through the Scout Oath and Law. We learn in the Scout Law that a Scout is Reverent. Most folks think reverence uniquely relates to our religious duties toward God, but the word reverent is far deeper in its meaning.  Religious duty, understood in Catholicism, is not merely vertical but is horizontal too. Jesus taught this understanding by His lesson on the two greatest commandments.  How this duty is played out is in our relationships with our families and community. Do we honor and give obedience to our parents? Do we respect and give back to our local community? The Scouting program teaches this foundation for our youth.

The Scouting approach in which Mr. Wright advocates for is akin to the “Benedict Option”—away from the world. After the changes in the Boy Scouts of America program, Scouting today simply reflects a microcosm of the existing society. It would be a mistake for Catholics to leave the Boy Scouts of America to form their own scouting “Benedict Option” groups because it negates the first mission of the Church—the mission of Gospel Proclamation to the world.

For example, the impact of what Dad helped teach generations of scouts was on full display at his visitation and it’s an image I will never forget. The image was a place where his former Scouts, grown men, and youth wearing their Scout uniforms came to say good-bye to their Scoutmaster—and that’s the impact Scouting at its best can have on our youth.

Dad never received his Eagle Scout rank. I surmise he regretted it as an adult. So, it was his goal to make sure his sons earned their Eagle Scout. Dad didn’t stop there because he also made the impact on other boys’ lives by teaching them the lessons needed for them to earn their Eagle Scout too. During Dad’s funeral, our family was asked to speak about him. My other siblings weren’t too keen on the idea, so I gave it a shot, Scouting was such an important aspect of Dad’s life and through the scouting movement he helped so many people I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give him his long awaited and missed Eagle Charge. I don’t remember quite what I said because an Eagle Charge is a sort of challenge to live out the Scouting Spirit throughout one’s life. I’d like to think I said something like St. Paul’s 2^nd Letter to Timothy that Dad had “fought the good fight—he had finished the race.”

And, I had my Eagle Scout medal placed on Dad and buried with him.

My parents with me on the day of my Eagle Scout ceremony—circa. 2003.

I wish I could ask my Dad questions now about being a father. I think back on my memories with him, and most of them are in the setting of Scouting. So, while I cannot ask him questions about being a Dad, I can go to the place where being a Dad makes the most sense to me—Scouting. A place where we can learn time-tested skills together that help build virtue and allow us to marvel God in His creation.

And so, I began my return to Scouting. I recently helped charter two new units at my parish—a Family Cub Scout Pack and Boys Scouts BSA Troop. Naturally, I will not be surprised with some questions from my fellow Catholics about all policy changes in the Boy Scouts of America from the past 10 years. So, whereas, Mr. Wright writes, “there are Catholics like me who lament that I cannot in good conscience allow my son to be part of this organization.” I say, “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” And again, do not misconstrue me, I’m not calling for proselytizing in Scouts, but rather existing within the microcosm that exists in the Boy Scouts of America. On the issue of LGBT members of the Boy Scouts of America nationally, my District Executive asked me my thoughts on the issue if it is brought up by a parent in the parish, my reply is the Catholic faith respects the dignity of every person as they are made in the image of God—that is Catholic teaching. Furthermore, it is still BSA policy from its Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse policy, “sexual activity is prohibited.”

Catholics should expect a program that exists in the social reality of the world. Catholics need to be thankful for a program where there is still a good and strong moral foundation. The foundation of scouting is what called the Scouting Spirit. What is the Scouting Spirit? It is the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan. How the BSA program exist in its current programs, an exodus of Catholics, and other Christian faith groups, from the Boy Scouts of America only does one thing by removing the influence of the gospel from the scouting movement. It removes the voice of the Catholic faith from one of the pillars of the program: Duty to God (a principle that some are actively trying to remove from the program)—reflected in both the Scout Oath and Scout Law. A Scout is Reverent.

Lord Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the World Scouting Movement, Public Domain

“No Man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His law.”

- Lord Robert Baden-Powell

The franchise/chartering system of the Boy Scouts of America programs allow Catholics to participate in what it refers to as Catholic Scouting. Again, it’s important to reiterate that The Boy Scouts of America allow Catholic chartering parishes to set their own membership standards.

Any changes in the Boy Scouts of America membership policy is nothing more than consistency in allowing chartering units true ownership and determination of their own leadership. For example, The Boy Scouts of America’s chartering system is like the franchise model for businesses. The local Catholic parish who charters a unit owns the unit—not the Boy Scouts of America. The charter agreement is a contract between BSA, and in the case of a parish, the Catholic diocese. Therefore, the Boy Scouts of America with the Catholic diocese must agree on the membership policies—which the unit determines its members. Of course, another chartering unit that agrees to charter, or franchise, a BSA unit can determine their own membership if everyone passes the BSA background checks, etc.

Regarding a parish’s chartering of a unit, the Catholic Scouting website explains, “Catholic Scouting offers all the adventure, character building, and values-based lessons of Scouting—all grounded in the Catholic faith.” The website explains how Catholic Scouting is an official program of the Catholic Church in the United States. The three principles of Catholic Scouting are Faith, Family, and Adventure. The family aspect of Catholic Scouting naturally includes all aspects of the family—that includes girls too. The family, the Domestic Church, is served by the family, the foundation of society, thriving together in the outdoors learning skills which help build values and leadership skills for the future for all youth who participate in the program.

Has the dynamic of Scouting changed in the last decade with girl membership? Sure. However, it is disingenuous not to mention that Scouting worldwide has long been co-ed. In the late 90s, a girl scout from England was my Citizenship of the World Merit Badge Counselor. Furthermore, the Catholic parish religious education programs are by-in-large co-ed and Catholic camps like Camp Ondessonk in southern Illinois have co-ed summer camps, boy summer camps, and girl summer camps. In the context of BSA, parents can choose in the Cub Scout program between a Family Pack, Boys Pack, Girls Pack. Scouts BSA now has Boy Troops and Girl Troops. So, the scouting program has become more aligned with Catholic youth ministry as a whole because of the changes made by the BSA.

The fact is The Boy Scouts of America program, like our communities, is better with Catholics participating in the program. It is a program that has given four generations of my family so much and it can help more generations too.

If you’d like to help my newly chartered Pack and Troop please consider supporting our fundraiser by purchasing a Christmas wreath this year by going to www.GiftItForward.com & using fundraising code: PK127IL001