Bishop presents religious awards to Scouts at annual Scout Sunday Mass

PATERSON  Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Scout Sun­day Mass to honor Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on Feb. 13. At the end of the Mass, he presented Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in attendance with various religious awards designed to help inspire and streng­then their Catholic faith, as well as Boy Scout adults with leadership awards.

Bishop Sweeney presented the following religious awards to the Girl Scouts: Family of God, I Live My Faith, and the Marian Medal/Mary, the First Disciple. The Boy Scouts received the Ad Altare Dei (“To the Altar of God”), the Pope Pius XII, and the Pillars of Faith medals. He also presented the Bronze Pelican award to two adult Boy Scout leaders.

“It’s a joy to celebrate the Scout Mass. It’s great to see all of our Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, leaders, families, priests, and deacons. Today, we recognize how Scouting helps us grow as disciples. So many of the values that Scouting promotes are the values that Jesus teaches us — the values that we are called to live as Christians, Catholics, and disciples of Jesus,” Bishop Sweeney said in his opening comments at the Mass.

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney said Scouts have something in common with the NFL players on the Los Angeles Rams and Cincin­nati Bengals who faced each other in Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles a few hours after the Mass, and athletes from around the world competing in the 2022 Winter Olym­pics in China: “They are all men and women at their best.”

“God made us all different but, in one way or another, he is calling us all to be our best,” said Bishop Sweeney, who noted that the oaths of both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have differences, but share a pledge to do — or try to do — their best and a promise to help other people. “Jesus asks us as Chris­tians to bring his love and what it means to be a disciple into the world. You can do that through Scouting. Jesus teaches us that in good times and in bad, we need to be faithful and trust in him. He teaches us to persevere — keep trying and not give up … ‘Rejoice, for your reward will be great in heaven,’ ” said the Bishop, quoting Jesus from the day’s Gospel, Luke 6:17, 20–26.

The Family of God program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. This program is offered to children ages 7–9, enrolled in Girl Scouting. The purpose of the program is to help children discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their family and their parish.

Recipients were: Courtney Albert, Carly Beringer, Amelia DeFranco, Kaylee Gray, and Julia Spasevski, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; Marina Monochello and Rebecca Nunez, Holy Spirit, Pequannock; Liliana Pacifico, St. Mary, Pompton Lakes; and McKenna Simm, Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon.

The I Live My Faith program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. for girls, ages 9 to 11, enrolled in Girl Scouting. The purpose of the I Live My Faith program is to help girls learn to appreciate more deeply the place God and religion occupies in their everyday lives and stresses the importance of helping others.

Recipients were: Olivianne Albert and Valentina Narrea, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

The Marian Medal/Mary, the First Disci­ple program is designed for young Catholic girls, grades 7–10, to enable them to “proclaim the greatness of the Lord.” This is accomplished by actively involving the participants in an understanding of Mary as a model of openness and spirituality — a woman of the Church. Through various projects, discussions, and liturgical celebrations over a period of months, the participants are provided with a unique opportunity to develop new insights into their personalities, friends, parents, and the world around them.

Recipients were: Molly Altman, Church of the Little Flower, Berkeley Heights; Margaret Curtis, Sophie Huang, Maeve Morton, Grace Powers, and Kiera Vowells, St. Patrick, Chatham; Taylor Hofbauer, St. Clement Pope and Martyr, Rockaway Township; Victoria Kiss, St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover; Meghan Shay and Sabrina Spasevski, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; Morgan Sheridan, Holy Spirit, Pequannock; and Caroline Zabik, St. Rose of Lima, Short Hills.

The Ad Altare Dei emblem is given to Catholic Scouts who have been registered in Boy Scouts for at least six months, have completed sixth grade and fulfilled the requirements in the workbook based on the seven Sacraments.

Recipients were: Albe Cobain-Soto and Aidan Reilly, Troop 23, St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton.

The Pope Pius XII emblem is given to Scouts of high school age, who are members of a Scout Troop or Venture Crew and have completed the five-step unit program.

Recipients were: Bridget Brady, Troop 1150, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; Michael Fowler, Troop 95, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; Patrick Bubniak and Thomas Bubniak, Troop 49, St. John Vianney, Stockholm; Katelin Hanifan, Matthew Hanifan, and Michael Hanifan, Troop 150, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta; and Alyssa Zemietra, Troop 1150, St. Jude the Apostle, Hardyston.

The Pillars of Faith award is given to Scouts who have completed all four religious emblems in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts: Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altare Dei, and Pope Pius XII.

Recipients were: Patrick Bubniak and Thomas Bubniak, Troop 49, St. John Vianney, Stockholm.

The Bronze Pelican is awarded to adults for consistent service to Catholic Scouting.

Recipients were: Gregory Bubniak, Troop 49, St. John Vianney, Stockholm, and Deborah Reidmiller, Troop 1150, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta.

Two Cub Scout awards were presented in the local parishes. One was the Light of Christ award, which helps Tiger and Wolf Cubs, grades 1 and 2, develop a personal relationship with Jesus. With the parents’ active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the Cub Scout will come to see Jesus as his friend.

Recipients were: Dominic Biago, Richard Hoff, and Theodore Schlitt, Pack 201, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; William Bubniak, Pack 49, St. John Vianney, Stock­holm; Stephen Budesheim, Pack 79, Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Pequannock; Michael Pater­nostro, Pack 79, Holy Spirit, Pequan­nock; Jacob Camacho, Pack 31, St. Bonaven­ture, Paterson; Giovanni Chirichiello and Colin Duff, Pack 40, Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls; Jackson Cramp, Pack 88, St. Jude, Hopat­cong; David Fazio, Tyler Leahy, and Mark Suscreba, Pack 23, St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton; Jackson Geronimo, Liam Hansen, Sean McEvoy, Luke Perara, Alex­ander Suplicki, and Logan Vandervvalk, Pack 143, St. Joseph, Lincoln Park; Patrick McCurrie, Pack 31, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton; Craig Plescia, Pack 316, St. Lawrence the Martyr, Chester; and Andrew Winters, Pack 40, Our Lady of Mercy, Whippany.

The other award presented at parishes was the Parvuli Dei emblem, which helps Cub Scouts registered in the Bear and Webelos program, grades 3 to 5, explore a range of activities to discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their families and parishes and to develop a good, positive self-image through the contributions they can make to the group or community.

Recipients were: Sean Boyd, Moorea Duff, and Daniel Ventura, Pack 40, Our Lady of Mercy, Whippany; Keanu Camara, Pack 1134, Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne; Michael Chirichiello, Robert Krimmel, and Lucas Sapio, Pack 40, Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls; Ralph Danna, Pack 108, Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne; Vivienne Pizzimenti, Pack 513, St. Thomas More, Convent Station; Colin Reilly, Pack 23. St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton; and Liam Shaw, Pack 133, St. Lawrence the Martyr, Chester.