Scout Sunday Mass

PATERSON  On Sunday, March 11, Bishop Serratelli presided over the annual combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout Sunday Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here. At the Mass, he presented Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with various religious awards and a special recognition for an adult Girl Scout leader.

Bishop Serratelli presented the following religious awards to the Girl Scouts: Family of God, I Live My Faith and the Marian Medal. The Boy Scouts received: the Ad Altare Dei (“To the Altar of God”) medal, and the Pope Pius XII medal.

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: Riley Beringer and Olivia DeFreitas of Holy Spirit Parish, Pequannock; Sienna Cassel, Avery DeLuca, Meghan Shay and Sabrina Spasevski of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Pompton Plains; and Georgianna Angelica, Daniela Iellimo, Gabriela Iellimo and Margot Steeg of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Whippany.

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: Kaylee Capodanno, Miranda Daly, Nikki Ditta, Ava Patanella, Emma Patanella and Bethany Sepaul of St. Rose of Lima Parish, East Hanover, and Mariana Wingard of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany.

The Marian Medal program is the official religious recognition program of the Catholic Church in the U.S. for Cadette level Girl Scouts. 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: Jaclyn Federicks, Shannon Federicks and Erin Huber of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Flanders, and Caitlin Halpin, Angela Jomson, Anna Terhune and Juliana Wingard of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany.

The St. Ann Medal is the highest national recognition for adults who serve Catholic youth through Girl Scouts.

The recipient was Ruth Foerster, a parishioner of Holy Family in Florham Park and a member of the Paterson Diocesan Catholic Committee on Girl Scouting.

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, which are a primary means toward spiritual growth. The purpose of the award program is to help Catholic youth develop a fully Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the seven sacraments.

Recipients were: Gavin Fondaco and Alex Salleroli of Troop 159 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Hewitt, and Tyler Catapano, Ethan Geddes, Jonah Lance and Matthew Rankel of Troop 173, St. Christopher Parish, Parsippany.

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. Catholic Scouting’s church-related ministries and vocation program Pope Pius XII deals with different life choices — single, married, religious, ordained, occupations and ministries in the church as calls from God. It includes youth led discussions on current issues facing the Church and society.

Recipients were: Anthony Paterno of Troop 173 at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls; Kyler Erezuma of Troop 7 at St. Vincent the Martyr Parish, Madison; Thomas DeBruno of Troop 49 at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Oak Ridge; Evan Vojta of Troop 173 at St. Ann Parish, Parsippany; and Thomas Catapano, Alexander Geddes and Timothy Metcalf of Troop 173 at St. Christopher, Parsippany.

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.

The recipient was Thomas DeBruno, of Troop 49 at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Oak Ridge.

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.

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