Diocesan Scout Sunday Mass

Bishop presents religious awards to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, adult leaders and Boy Scout Troop

PARSIPPANY  On Sunday, March 6, Bishop Serratelli presided over the annual combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout Sunday Mass at St. Peter the Apostle Church here, where he presented Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with religious awards and special Boy Scout recognition for adult leaders and a troop.

Bishop Serratelli presented the following religious awards to the Girl Scouts: Family of God, I Live My Faith, the Marian Medal and Spirit Alive. The Boy Scouts received: the Light of Christ Award, Parvuli Dei (“Children of God”) emblem, the Ad Altare Dei (“To the Altar of God”) medal, the Pope Pius XII medal and the Pillars of Faith award. He also gave out the St. George and Bronze Pelican awards to adult leaders and the Paul VI National Unit Award for a Wayne Boy Scout troop.

The Family of God program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. This program is offered to girls, ages 7 to 9, enrolled in Girl Scouting. The purpose of the Family of God program is to help girls discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their family and their parish. Recipients were: Evelyn Bowman, Kaylee Capodanno, Miranda Daly, Alyssa DeMassi, Nikki Ditta, Cristina Messana, Briana Miller, Ava Patanella, Emma Patanella, Angelina Politi, Gabriella Rescigno and Bethany Sepaul of St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover; Victoria Granberg of St. Lawrence the Martyr, Madison; and Nicole Ann Chavez of Holy Spirit, Pequannock.

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 occupy in their everyday lives and stresses the importance of helping others. Recipients were: Mary Korab of Holy Family, Florham Park; Caitlin Halpin of St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany; and Kim DeMarco of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

The Marian Medal program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. for Cadette level Girl Scout. The purpose of the Marian Medal program is to complement the religious education carried out in the Catholic schools and religious education classes. This recognition serves as a reminder of commitment of faith through prayer, service, and responsible community participation. Recipients were: Jade Ditta, Shayna Dooley, Sarah Leitao, Julie Prestigiacomo and Isabella Vescera of St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover.

The Spirit Alive program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. for Senior level Girl Scout. The Spirit Alive program was designed to assist the young woman in discovering how the Holy Spirit moves within her life, calling her to greater participation in the ministry of the Church. Recipients were: Lisa Longo of Our Lady of Mercy, Whippany; Brianna Rizzo of Holy Spirit, Pequannock; and Alicia Mitchell of St. Christopher, Parsippany.

The Light of Christ Award helps Cub Scouts develop a personal relationship with Jesus. With the parent’s active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the Cub will come to see Jesus as his friend. This award is earned by Tiger and Wolf Cubs, grades 1 and 2, and was presented in their local parishes throughout the year 2015. Recipients were; Peter Clear of Pack 201, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; Thomas Cinque and Ethan Justin of Pack 23, St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton; Aidan Reilly of Pack 14, St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton; Szymon Sudol of Pack 23, St. John Kanty, Clifton; Michael Pizzimenti of Pack 228, St. Thomas More, Convent Station; Gavin Lucas of Pack 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt; Patrick Comerford, Cole Ferrer, Thomas Joyce and Collin Young of Pack 88, St. Jude, Hopatcong; Anthony Catania of Pack 404, St Francis de Sales, McAfee; Marcus Innamorato of Pack 85, St. Joseph, Newton; Alexander Spada and Nicholas Spada of Pack 218, St. Ann, Parsippany; Cayden Mahon of Pack 218, St. Christopher, Parsippany; David Bondarowicz of Pack 215, St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany; Jaden Guzman of Pack 108, St. Mary, Pompton Lakes; Cooper James, Sean Kiessling, Nolan Lardiere and Alexander McKinney of Pack 165, St. Cecilia, Rockaway; Christopher Kroegman of Pack 165, St. Simon the Apostle, Rockaway; Jack Kallok and Frank Kenyon of Pack 88, St. Therese, Succasunna; Matthew Sapp of Pack 108, Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne; and Jack Till and Stephen Vastano of Pack 108, Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne.

The Parvuli Dei emblem helps Cub Scouts registered in the Bear and Webelos program, grades 3 to 5, explore a wide 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. These awards were presented in the local parishes throughout 2015. Recipients were: Joseph Jackson Koury of Pack 24, Corpus Christi, Chatham Township; Joshua Abdallah, Gavin Lucas Christopher Sierra of Pack 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt; Steven George of Pack 88, St. Jude, Hopatcong; Jake Levis of Pack 194, St. Jude, Hopatcong; James Lazanis and Patrick Lazanis of Pack 277, Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon; Maksym Krul of Pack 236, St. Nicholas Ukrainian, Long Valley; Mark Trofinoff Pack 45, St. Mary, Mine Hill; Anthony McShane, William Rosa and Sean Scully of Pack 513, Assumption, Morristown; Matthew Guziewcz of Pack 85, St. Joseph, Newton; Paul Eberhardt of Pack 513, Christ the King, New Vernon; Timothy Pactwa of Pack 215, St. Christopher, Parsippany; Joseph Lesch of Pack 159, St. Catherine of Bologna, Ringwood; Damian Grochowsui of Pack 160, St. Cecilia, Rockaway; Jarret Lardiere, Quinn Kiessling and Colby Wagner of Pack 165, St. Cecilia, Rockaway; Sebastian Sztolberg of Pack 160, St. Clement, Rockaway; Tyler Brooks, Frederich Kroegman and Sean McKeever of Pack 165, St. Simon the Apostle, Rockaway; Eldrin Borja, Frank Gazzillo, James Ilardi, Zachary Manchak, Spencer Moser, Braeden Neal and Matthew Stenderowicz of Pack 80, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta; Patrick Bubniak of Pack 49, St. John Vianney, Stockholm; Dominic Nicotra of Pack 88, St. Therese, Succasunna; Nicholas Apa and Jonathan Hutchinson Long of Pack 192, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wayne; John Mc Monagle of Pack 108, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wayne; Brian McMillin, Robert Oechslin and Michael Sapp of Pack 108, Our Lady of Consolation, Wayne; and Zachary Daudelin and Evan Leshik of Pack 108, Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne.

The Ad Altare Dei emblem is given to Catholic Scouts who have been registered in Boy Scouts for at least six months, have completed the sixth grade and fulfilled the requirements in the workbook based on the seven Sacraments. Recipients were: Matthew Castellano and Mark Castellano of Troop 8, St. Patrick Chatham; Jose Cabrera, Jason Cartier, Tyler Chimiel and John Cowap of Troop 156, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Flanders; Kevin Foerster, Mark Foerster and Joseph Korab of Troop 18, Holy Family, Florham Park; Thomas Dailey, Kyler Erezuma and Benjamin Klepper of Troop 7, St. Vincent Martyr, Madison; William Clarkin, Christopher Cortez, John Gallo and Patrick Herbert of Troop 34, Assumption, Morristown; and Fabio Spataro of Troop 113, St. Cecilia, Rockaway.

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: Jack Dean of Troop 8, Corpus Christi, Chatham Township; Gavin Mayes and Ryan Mayes of Troop 8, Christ the King, New Vernon; Alexander Benedetto and Shane A. Lucas of Troop 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt; Matthew Clarkin, Thomas Costello, Gregory Elorette, Conor Lenahan, Gregory Reisch and Carlo Zahl of Troop 34, Assumption, Morristown; Brian McShane and Joseph McShane of Troop 112, Assumption, Morristown; Shaun Montalto-Rook of Troop 17, St. Cecilia, Rockaway; and Michael Nichols, Zachary Russell and Messimo Spataro of Troop 113, St. Cecilia, Rockaway.

Pillars of Faith is given to Scouts, who have earned all four religious medals: Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei, while in Cub Scouts, and Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII, while in Boy Scouts/Ventures. Recipients were: Alex Benedetto, Matthew Clarkin, Shane Austin Lucas, Gavin Mayes, Ryan Mayes and Spartaro Massimo.

The Bronze Pelican recognizes adults for consistent service to Catholic Scouting. Recipients were: Richard Cooper of Pack 9 and later of Troop 114, West Milford, and Darren McKeever of Pack 165, Rockaway.

The St. George Award recognizes individuals in local dioceses for their significant contributions and many years of support for the Catholic Scouting at the local level. The recipient was: Jim Benson of Troop 192, Wayne, and member of the Paterson Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting.

The Paul VI National Unit Award recognizes Catholic chartered units who provide a quality program encompassing Scouting’s religious and educational aspects. The recipient was Troop 108 of Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne.