Scout Sunday

PARSIPPANY  On Sunday, March 26, Bishop Serratelli presided over the annual combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout Sunday Mass in St. Peter the Apostle Church here. At the Mass, he presented Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with religious awards and special Boy Scout recognition for adult leaders.

Bishop Serratelli presented the following religious awards to the Girl Scouts: Family of God, I Live My Faith, the Mary, the First Apostle award, and Spirit Alive. The Boy Scouts received: the Ad Altare Dei (“To the Altar of God”) medal, the Pope Pius XII medal. He also gave out the St. George and Bronze Pelican awards to adult leaders.

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. Recipients were: Caroline Budesheim, Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock; Amber Dericks, Zoe M. Mitros and Samantha Seeber, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; and Mariana Wingard, St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany.

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. The recipient was: Nicole Ann Chavez, Holy Spirit, Pequannock.

The Mary, the First Apostle program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. for Cadette level Girl Scout. The purpose of the 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: Victoria Mary Chavez, Holy Spirit, Pequannock, and Bridget Guziewicz, St. Joseph, Newton.

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. The recipient was: Eileen Foerster, Holy Family, Florham Park.

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: Wyatt Mathews, Patrick McGowan, Luke Kulesa and Liam Reilly, Troop 23, St. Andrew the Apostle, Clifton; Joseph Lodge, Daniel Lodge, Marek Pernis and Quinn Siedlecki, Troop 21, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton; Timothy Butcher, Troop 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt; Thomas Bloodgood, Troop 86, Our Lady of the Magnificat, Kinnelon; Michael Fracchiolla, Troop 436, Our Lady of the Mountain, Long Valley; Robert Santos and John Taxiarchou, Troop 436, St. Luke the Evangelist, Long Valley; Andrew Marley, Tyler Redmond, Connor Ronceray and Reese Ronceray, Troop 436, St. Mark the Evangelist, Long Valley; George Dailey, Connor Erezuma, Sean Finnegan, Samuel Klepper and Jeremy McKenna, Troop 7, St. Vincent the Martyr, Madison; Matthew Guziewicz, Troop 85, St. Joseph, Newton; Thomas Madrid, Troop 184, St. Joseph, Newton; James Mirabella, Troop 86, St. Mary, Pompton Lakes; Michael Nicotra, Troop 88, St. Therese, Succasunna; and David Braen, Troop 159, St. Joseph, West Milford.

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: Nicholas Salleroli, Troop 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt; Thomas Germano and John Ryan, Troop 85, St. Joseph, Newton; Christopher Mantell, Troop 109, St. Matthew the Apostle, Randolph; Jacob Lesch, Troop 159, St. Catherine of Bologna, Ringwood; Kathleen Reidmiller, Crew 276, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta; and Michael Reidmiller, Troop 85, 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 parent’s active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the Cub will come to see Jesus as his friend.

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 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.

The Bronze Pelican recognizes adults for consistent service to Catholic Scouting. Recipients were; Michael Cervine, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton, and Mark Tallmadge Sr., St. Patrick, Chatham.

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: Robert Shaker, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton.

[Information: Call Joanne Ponnwitz for Girl Scout religious awards at (973) 809-1643 or Debbie Wickham for Boy Scouts religious awards at (973) 697-2048.]