www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization 1st Light is Life Camporee for Boy Scouts

My son is 8. It's not too time intensive. On days when you can you can sit with him for den meetings, on busy days you can (and are often encouraged to) drop him off.

There are belt loops and the like you can do with him when time permits as well as the religious emblems.

ahh.. cub scouts the good old days

Scouting can take as little as one hour a week or as much as you are willing to give. I have been a volunteer leader in Scouting for over fifteen years. I am Charter Organization Representative for the Parish, Pack Trainer for the parish Cub Pack, founding Scoutmaster for our new Boy Scout Troop, a Venturing committee member, and District Training Chairman,currently. My son is an Eagle Scout and he and my daughter are both in Venturing. I am also a deacon student for the Eparchy of Parma. I have seen many young people receive their first experiences of religion through the Scouting program. Like all things, the quality of your unit makes a huge difference in the experience your family will have in Scouting. My advice is check out several of the local units. (You can get contact information from your local Boy Scout Council.) Go to the meetings and see which group matches your son's and your family's needs. You will find that there is a great deal of difference between units.
Good luck! Scouting can be a wonderful area of growth for your son and your family.

Well Father Deacon, we see you and God-willing the scouts have survived the weekend and the horrible cold. Could we all have a synopsis of the weekend? Inquiring minds want to know.

Also on a side note, those that are interested in the Byzantine Catholic scouting awards should contact Father Deacon Lance, and he will give you what information he can or steer you in the right direction. Though I am not Byzantine Catholic, I do think it is important that Byzantine Catholic scouts and scouters have their own religious awards to promote awareness of their faith and active participation in their church.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Foul weather and bad roads prevented most from getting there until Saturday morning. Only Me and my son and another father and son were there Friday night. Most of the time was spent preparing kindling, chopping wood and getting a good fire going to get the cabin to a livable temperature. We spent the rest of the evening watching The Fellowship of the Ring before bedtime prayer and retiring.

Everyone else arrived Saturday morning and once the scouts got settled in we began work on the Light is Life religous emblem and had our first conference. We followed that with a brisk hike through the snow-covered woods to a natural waterfall on the camp grounds and a much needed lunch. We continued work on the emblem with another conference as well as more chopping of firewood and dinner. We celebrated Great Vespers in a corner of the cabin converted into a temporary chapel for the weekend. We even got the boys to go for one more conference after Vespers and then gave the rest of the evening for games, movies, and outdoor exploration.

Everyone was up bright and early to prepare breakfast and gather firewood, again. We closed the program with a final conference and feedback session. Finally, Metropolitan Basil blessed us with his presence and celebrated Divine Liturgy for us after which everyone headed home, hopefully strengthend in their faith.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Father Deacon Lance,

Outside of the weather, which you would have no control over anyway, it sounds like it was a truly spiritual and edifying weekend for all involved that even included some fun.

Glory to God!

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+