The Catholic School Leaders Podcast

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Catholic School Leaders Podcast, where we discuss leadership in Catholic education. I'm John Mahalio, your host. This podcast is dedicated to enhancing Catholic education and connecting Catholic school leaders worldwide. Well, today we're going to explore the intersection of faith and scouting, how these values of Catholic education align with the principles of the scouting movement.

With Fr. Gerard Gentleman and Mr. John Anthony. Together they'll share their insights on how scouting and Catholic education can work hand in hand. to form the next generation of faith filled leaders. So stay tuned for an exciting and inspiring conversation. Now before we get started with this episode, let's take a quick pause and start our episode with a prayer.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to come together today as your children to talk about Catholic Scouting of America. Please [00:01:00] bless my guests today, Father Gerard and John and their work. So that we may give your name honor, praise, and glory.

We pray our work will bring your light, love, and mission. To our listeners and to Scouting and the world, we ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Enjoy today's episode. Please don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this content with other Catholic school leaders who are in your network.

Enjoy!

Well, joining me today are two remarkable leaders deeply rooted in both Catholicism and Scouting. First, I want to introduce Father Gerard Gentleman, a proud Eagle Scout and National Chaplain for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Thank you Father Gentleman is a priest from the Diocese of Rockville Center on Long Island, New York, and has dedicated his ministry to supporting scouting as a way to form young people in faith.

He's held numerous leadership roles, including the Diocesan Chaplain, Chairman of the NCCS [00:02:00] Chaplains Committee, and the Director of the St. George Trek, a premier Catholic scouting experience. Also with us today is Mr. John Anthony. Another Eagle Scout and Chair of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting since April of 2022.

A lifelong Scout, John earned his Eagle rank in the year 1968, along with the Ad Altare Day Award, and has been a cornerstone of Catholic Scouting leadership. He served in key roles and events like the Florida Sea Base and Philmont Training Center. And holds a Master's in Human Services from Murray State University.

Father Gentlemen and John, welcome to the Catholic School Leaders Podcast. It's great to see you both.

Thanks for having

to be seen.

Absolutely. So this is an exciting day because I know the importance and the benefits of scouting as a Boy Scout myself, growing up as an Eagle Scout. And so this is such an honor and I had the chance to meet some of your reps up at the NCEA this [00:03:00] year.

And we had a really great conversation. So I was so happy that we were able to do this interview today. So I guess a little bit first and foremost is John we'll start with you. Tell us a little bit about the story of Catholic Scouting and kind of how it was founded and father, if you want to kind of integrate how it was integrated into the church.

Sure, I can do that. Officially the we're the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, and it was founded in 1912 by Brother Barnabas and Victor Ritter with the cooperation of James E. West, who was the Chief Scout Executive at the time, received the approval of John Cardinal Farley of the Archbishop of New York for the Boy Scouts.

A scout troop was chartered to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York under specific guidelines established by the Cardinal. So this was really the first time, I mean we've had Catholic units before, but this was the first time that it was [00:04:00] under the guidelines of a particular Cardinal. So that's really the very first Catholic scout unit.

And Father George, tell me in terms of, you know, with our Catholic Scouting Organization, what are some of the things in terms of the the mission of the church?

And that's a great word to use, the word mission because that's how we see ourselves that we are a church committee that is missioned into scouting. So, everything the church wants to say about evangelizing young people we want to bring that into the mission. the construct of scouting.

And scouting's about leadership. It's about moral development. It's about empowering young people responsibility. All of those things is, you know, this, the scouting structure formulated by Lord Baden Powell and then adopted in many different places throughout the world and here in the United States.

So, you know, it was, as John [00:05:00] just spoke about, those original ideas of saying, let's put, the church's mission to youth, and use the program that Scouting has to do just that. In the same vein that you would say, okay, kids like athletics, so let's, you know, take the church's mission into athletics, right?

Or whatever else that, you know, young people might be engaged in. So that's the basis of why the church and Scouting have a relationship.

It's a huge mission and a huge ministry within the Catholic Church. are some things that might be key differences between, say, Catholic Scouting of America and other scouting organizations? I know there's probably a lot of overlaps, some partnerships, things like that. But what are maybe some differences that people would see involved with with your organization?

Well, for one thing The National Catholic Committee on Scouting has an official liaison, Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, with the U. S. Conference of [00:06:00] Catholic Bishops. If you're familiar with the Kennedy Directory we are the only scouting organization that is listed there. The other thing that the U.

S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is rolling out a new youth ministry format called the Formation. And it's Teach, Learn, and Send. If you read it, they mention Catholic Scouting at least twice in that document that which has been approved by the bishops as a basis of youth ministry. Now, how are we different from other, well, there are no other scout organizations.

They are not approved by the World Scouting Bureau. So these other organizations are not really approved, I guess.

Yeah, who is it?

Go ahead, brother

No, I was going to say, you know, too, that the through the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry there are [00:07:00] other scouting connections, so Girl Scouts, the Girl Scout Committee on Scouting and Campfire they're a part of that as well and there are other organizations that might call themselves scouting, but are not necessarily scouting, where bishops might Invite them to be a part of the overall mission of the church.

So that's you know that differs from diocese to diocese But as John said, you know, we're you know, we were established by the bishops and we continue to work with the bishops And he's gonna kill me for this, but I'm gonna correct John on the document. It's called listen. Yeah, it's called listen teach send and You know, we were helpful in contributing to the formation of that document, and we're going to be helping the USCCB roll that document out.

And one of the things we've been saying is even that mindset of listening to young people, teaching young people, and sending them out into the world, Scouting's been doing that for a long time already. So, you know, what that we see ourselves as really being able to help the Church do just that.[00:08:00]

You

of these days I'll get that title,

yeah, you get it right, you get it right, right, right on your palm of your hand there for the next one, right?

There you go.

Now one of the things you mentioned before, Father was about the leadership, and, you know, what are some ways that you see the Catholic Scouting fostering leadership skills in young people?

Because there's so many opportunities and no matter what it is, whether it's just at a meeting, Or whether it's on a camp out or whether it's, you know, during a week long camping trip or service trips, things like that. There's so many different opportunities for leadership, and I think that's why the Scout is such a great organization, because it does give those opportunities.

What are some ways that you've seen leadership opportunities being able to be fostered amongst the kids?

Well, let me just start by saying too that what's unique about scouting America is the chartering concept, right? So, the way it works is every unit, whether it's a troop or a pack a venture crew or ship they are, chartered, meaning that the organization that sponsors them owns them and sees them [00:09:00] as part of their mission.

So, you know, the ideal way for us to interact with Catholic Scouts is that a parish would charter or a school would charter, and therefore You have that direct relationship and therefore, that's, you know, we've seen on a parish level and in a school level that with the responsibilities that a young person might be given in their path and scouting, they rise also as leaders, maybe in their parish and in their school as well.

The greatest, you know, thing about, I see about Scouting is that it really has such a a wonderful, natural way to let kids come forward and be leaders. So, yeah, it's one of the, one of the things that we sponsor, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, is a a high adventure backpacking trek out in New Mexico as part of the Philmont Scout Ranch.

And so I've hiked with Scouts, and that is a completely Totally a youth led experience, you know, and as an adult, you're there to keep them safe and [00:10:00] to kind of foster their decision making. So I have seen such tremendous things happen just over 10 days of watching young people rise up and become leaders.

You know, in my own parish community, I have, you know, watched young people. Yes, they're the, you might be a leader in a, one of our units, but they're also typically the kids that maybe have the courage to go on and take other leadership roles within the community. I'm thinking mindful of one young man in my parish here who, As a senior in high school, he still lectures at mass he's an Eagle Scout, and he was just named as the salutatorian of his graduating class here in the public high school, so, I think you just see that, you know, kids that are involved in scouting, there's all kinds of formation that helps them to rise in other levels as well.

And I think what I always love too is when we would have scouting organizations that were affiliated with the school or the parish, there's a belonging there. There's a sense of pride that not only does the school or the parish have, that this is our [00:11:00] troop, but now there's an involvement piece from your students.

being involved in something that is at the school or is at the parish. And so many times we say, well, you know, when, what are you involved with? Well, I'm not, if I'm not involved with the sporting teams, I'm not involved with anything. Well, this is a way that there's a direct correlation between what's happening in your school and what's happening outside of school.

And there's, there is that sense of belonging there. There is that sense of I'm part of something that's giving back to the greater community, I think. That's something that I always saw.

Let me go back to your leadership question. I don't know if you're aware, but on this podcast, you have three Eagle Scouts. And John, what was your project that you did for Eagle? Your

I remember, yeah, I remember I was working with the community where I grew up on summer not summer camp, but like, working with playgrounds to have summer monitors to make sure that the kids would have something to do. It was a pretty [00:12:00] extensive project. I hope it's one that's still going, but unfortunately I don't live there anymore, but I know it was something that brought a lot of good to a lot of kids for that particular summer, for sure.

Yes.

Yeah we each had a project. A similar type of project that we had to give leadership to other scouts. Now I received my Eagle in 1968 and it was at the time when they were changing those requirements before you could just do a project, you didn't have to show any leadership now you have to.

And I think that's a great change in the Eagle requirements. Think of it as thousands and thousands of young men and women now who are earning their eagles and have made a similar impact on their community, and in a lot of cases, the schools or if they go to a church that has a school I, you know, at my church, As you walk by this school, which is [00:13:00] relatively new within the last 10 years, you see this flagpole.

And on the base of the flagpole, donated by Troop 32, chartered to Elizabeth A. Unseen. You know, it's something that lasts forever in their minds.

And I think, too, the one thing that I always appreciated with the Eagle Scout, because obviously we, as an Eagle Scout and as somebody who oversaw or helped a lot of projects that were taking place on the school grounds or parish grounds, is that the goal of it was you as the person trying to obtain the leaders of the Eagle Scout, your job is to lead the project and you are leading others.

Anybody can go and lay some mulch or two, but it's now the big emphasis is how are you helping others as the leader of the project? And that was something I always appreciated because there was more to it than just let's lay some mulch down or let's throw some stones down over here. Let's put a basketball hoop up or [00:14:00] things like that.

It was how are you organizing it? How are you leading? How are you getting the materials? How are you funding it, etc. That is something that really encompasses a huge body of work for the project. People that are doing that for sure.

Yeah, it's the role

not just the Eagle Project.

I was gonna say, you know, it's the role of a leader to the adult leader you know, to take that scout back, the young man or woman, and say, What do you see going on? You know, encouraging them to, to look at what, what's happening, who's sitting over in the corner, not doing anything, you know, what's you know, what's next?

What do you see happening next? And that can be, you know, a project or just even, you know, as I mentioned before that, you know, hiking experience, getting out in the morning is important and the leader has to be less concerned about getting himself packed up, but to be able to look and see Who's doing what, you know, and have that vision.

And I think that's what leadership is about too, to be able to not be just someone that works real hard, but to be able to take the step back and look at everything and scouting provides so many [00:15:00] opportunities to, for a young person to do that.

Well, and I will say this too, there's no, you mentioned the hike out in New Mexico. I remember being on camp outs overnight and things like that. And there is no greater growing up feeling. than when dinner is not cooked for you. You've got to take care of that on your own, or you've got to, you know, figure out how this goes, you know, and I know a lot of our summer camps have the mess halls and things like that.

But I remember the one summer camp we went to the one year out and it was in Pennsylvania. It was like, here's the supplies and you're going back and the scouts are the ones that are going to be cooking it. And so these guys had dinner duty on this day. These guys had cleanup duty. And you do function as a unit, as a small community, in which case that you're relying on everybody else.

And so I think that's the other piece I see within the scouting communities is the leadership is there. But also that reliance on others to make sure that the bigger task gets accomplished. That we're gonna make [00:16:00] sure we get to where we need to be on our hike, or that our food is cooked, or whatever the case might be.

But there's just so many opportunities that are presented that I think take our kids outside of their comfort zone or their phones and and put them in situations that help them grow.

that crosses over then also to, you know, what we're looking to do, obviously, with our young people in the church, you know, to be leaders in faith and our religious emblems program you know, helps to support formal catechesis but really, again, puts kids in a leadership spotlight, you know, that I, you know, when I see someone else my age concerned about his faith, or her faith, and they're putting the effort into advancing in, in their faith.

You know, we're we're helping the, you know, the church. Bishop Fisher, as we mentioned him before, he's an Eagle Scout as well, and the consistent thing that he talks about is that his pursuit of the Adultare Dei, which is one of the religious emblems was As challenging to him, as achieving his [00:17:00] Eagle Scout, and very much helped to form him in faith, and we'll say, you know, I became a priest, I'm a bishop, because of my experience of working on the Adultery Day religious epilogue.

I

And that's a it's a great word That's one that I worked toward didn't get there just because I ran out of time But that was such a rewarding experience. I still remember it to this day working with Father Schneider God rest his soul on that and it was just such a rewarding Challenge right there.

That's the only word for it, but I do agree with you. There's a lot more Almost, in some regards, it went into that than the Eagle Scout, just in terms of the faith development. So, so I know that one of the things that, that we want to encourage as a Catholic community is service and engagement with our parishes with our local communities.

What are some ways that you see scouting being able to do that within the realm of a Catholic organization? Ha!

was waiting to see if John was going to answer first. Go ahead, John.

Well, I was one [00:18:00] person. I'm going to screw up the name so father can correct me. the Secretary of Education for the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Mary Donohue, I think her name is. Okay, he didn't correct me. Good, he doesn't know. When I talked to her, she told me about the fact that she, when she was a elementary school principal, that she loved to have scouting at her school because They're the ones that raised and lowered the flag each day.

She could count on them to do any type of project around the school that was needed. And I think it was every Tuesday they had their meeting at her school, and they all came in their uniform, showing a great example to the other students.

And I would say. You know, what scouting offers is it's one of those places where everybody can be a part of it because young people need to belong, you know, we know that's a huge [00:19:00] issue in, in, in life that young people are longing to be supported by and be a part of a group of peers and in scouting, you'll see.

athletes, theater kids, musicians, kids that are involved in different kinds of gaming, whatever it might be, outdoor kids, whatever. All of those kids can come together and be, and that's, I mean, I remember that for my own youth, like I knew people and had friendships with people that otherwise were involved in very different things.

But you know, we all had that unity and scouting and I think that's, Something that's so important in our world today is giving kids opportunities to belong and to be supported by their peers and outside of perhaps the usual group that they're with.

On a personal note, my granddaughter was just made patrol leader. Her, uh, which beats at a Catholic church in Moore, Oklahoma. So, [00:20:00] I'm looking forward to seeing her development. She has changed a little bit since she joined scouting and I'm looking to hopefully that she will become an Eagle Scout.

She's gonna go to the Bar Sea Base in March to go and do some scuba diving. Her mom is going with her, who's their assistant scout master. So it really becomes a family type trip. So, and she's raised her own money to pay for it.

And I think that's something that you bring in right there is, you know, that you're getting the parents involved. You're getting the parish leaders involved. You're getting you know, everybody involved. I guess just to expand on that a little bit, because I think anything that we can involve our communities in to support is a great thing, okay?

And so what are some ways that maybe you see, you know, involving parents or involving parish leaders, involving priests? I mean, Father, you said you, you were out there hiking in, in New Mexico, okay? But there's just so many opportunities, and I [00:21:00] think that's something that, I really appreciate about this is, you know, listen I might not have the background to coach this sport or I might not have the opportunity to, you know, I can't coach ice hockey.

That's just not my jam right there again. But, you know, scouting is something that there's a, there's so many opportunities for anybody to be part of this and to give back in terms of these things. So what are maybe some opportunities or ways that you see for parents or community members to be involved?

Well, one of the things I'm going first is like, what are the things that we have, and I think I mentioned earlier, we have over 50 activity patches that, and the parents can work with their child on it. You don't have to be in scouting to earn these, like this, Our recent, very popular activity was on the Eucharistic Revival, where we had a, you could earn a patch, and there's segments that go around it that helps you grow [00:22:00] closer to the Eucharist.

I mean, we have one for bishops, we have the Year of the Jam Jubilee that's coming up. We're gonna be launching ours on December 24th. And it goes to January 6th, 2026, just like the Jubilee. So, you know, kids are at school. I'm in my second grade religious ed class that I teach. Hey, you guys know anything about the year of the So it's an activity that the parents, the whole family can work on. Find out more about the rosary. We have a rosary series. Find out more about the American saints. Find out more about internationalism. We have one for Carlos that's gonna be

Yes,

canonized on April 27th. Learn out about him and, you know.

And that was going to kind of be my answer as well, too, because I, you know, we can be very internal when we're thinking about scouting, who are, you know, deeply involved, but this [00:23:00] is one of the greatest things I think that we've ever done, this these, this activity program, so anybody can go to catholicscouting.

com and look at our religious activities, and there are these little mini You know, it's all right there catechetical programs on, as John was saying, the saints the leadership in the church, the pope, a bishop, or the different Marian titles. And I stole an idea from John because I didn't realize that we had these in our American Saints series, we have these little trading cards. One of the things I do is I'm meeting with fourth graders and you know, as we wrap things up and pass out these American Saints cards and in a minute there, get them to tell me about this Saint and then they're actually trading them. They want this one or that one. So, Anybody, any adult that's saying, what can I do to engage kids in a simple discussion about the various different things of our faith, you know, can do our Catholic, do the activities for, and you don't have to get a patch.

You can [00:24:00] just use the, you know, the format itself. So I think that's really what anybody that's listening to us and saying, I'm looking for some resources on how to very simply pass on faith to our young people. Go to CatholicScouting. com, look at the Religious Activities section and download all that stuff, and, you know, you've got weeks upon weeks, if not years, of lessons that you can share.

Yeah there's 14 of those cards and I use them in my religious ed class for second graders and father's right. Are we getting a card this week? Who is it? You know, that type of thing. And then we review who the saint is, or who the blessed person is. And we have schools that have been using our religious activity as part of their school, Catholic schools in introducing their faith, especially the Eucharistic revival.

When I was at that conference in Indianapolis with 50, 000 of my closest friends, We had people [00:25:00] coming up to us saying, I use that at my school. The kids love to learn more about the Eucharistic revival. And it really helps to explain what this whole big celebration is all about in their terms.

and I think what I appreciated, I had the opportunity this past summer to travel over to Italy, and they're already getting ready for the year ahead here Rome was already getting ready, but to see the kids reaction to, you know, because there's a lot of saints over there but you mentioned, you know, Carlos Acudas, the blessed, you know, To see him and to visit and pay your respects to him and his, that, that was a game changer for the kids because this is somebody who's laid to rest in a soccer unit, you know, in a soccer shirt or a soccer jersey or a, you know, it was something that was very relatable to them and somebody that they could relate to.

And so. I think the more that we give the kids those opportunities to just to be inspired by them and to help them [00:26:00] grow in their faith is such a powerful thing. That was something that really struck me when we were over there in Assisi for sure. So, let me ask this question now, because we've talked a lot about the faith based element, but there is this other component of scouting that is kind of the adventure, the activities, the experiences.

And I know for me, I mean, to this day, I still talk about some of the experiences that, that we did as a scouting troop, whether it was, I think the most unique merit badge we had was fireman the firemanship merit badge or something to that effect which was an amazing experience. I still remember it to this day.

What are some unique activities and experiences being offered through Catholic scouting that, that make it unique?

Well, I mean, I think the outdoor adventure is, you know, a big part of what Scouting is all about, and, you know, some people, That's not for them, but you know, outdoor adventure does not necessarily mean, you know, camping and having bugs crawling around you and all that kind of stuff, you know, scouting does, you know, with our, you know, merit badges [00:27:00] and various other activities that, you know, so, John mentioned before the sea base in, in, in Florida.

So that's a whole experience of of kids just being out on the water and learning at, you know, some of those experiences, you know, with that. So I that's the one thing that comes to mind for me is that, you know, we live in a world where a lot is done. Like we're doing right now looking at a computer screen, right?

And you know, we're not built that way, you know, you know, kids and adults, we need to get outside. And so, so much of scouting is that when I was a scout we went camping once a month and then summer camp over the summer and I did it because that's what the troop was doing. Would I ever have decided I was going to camp out in the snow for, you know, for a weekend?

Not

no, right? Hard no.

you know, it's an adventure. My first camp out as an 11 year old. We were having a bike hike from the local junior high school to County Park and it was eight miles. Not, you know, not that [00:28:00] much. It rained the entire time that we were biking and the, you know, the my brakes were soaked and then our campsite was, we were just soaked all night, just rained all night.

But, you know, There's something to be said for that kind of an adventure. There's great stories that come out of that. Here I am, all these years later, telling you about, you know, about that first experience. So, I think, you know, that the concept of outdoor adventure is just cultivates an appreciation for our created world and really presents kids with challenges that they might not have otherwise.

I'm going to tell about my first camping trip since Father Gerard did. I went on this camping trip where the younger boys are in one cabin, the older boys in another cabin, we had to cook our own and all that stuff. And my dad comes in. My dad was on the camping trip and he said you look a little hungry because he was with the older boys.

And I said, yeah. So he took myself and Mark Krupka over to the other cabin and made [00:29:00] us a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And I can still remember that after all these years, that's something that my dad did. And I'll always remember that. And Mark Krupka was my best friend at the time. So those memories just, Stay with you forever.

the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich you ever had.

It was

To this day, right? To this

this day. Every time I make one, I think of my dad.

(MidRoll)

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(mid roll ends) I remember the first camp out I went on just because it, much like you, Father, it rained, and it rained so hard that our, it was like our tents were barely holding anything up, and so, of course, you know, we get the bright idea, let's put our sleeping bags by the fire to dry them off well, someone put his a little too close to the fire and that was not a good scene whatsoever, so, but, As you just pointed out, Father, those are the things you remember, those are the things, it's the adversity, and how did we battle through these things as a unit or, you know, sometimes as individuals to get us there, I remember very vividly that the outdoor was a Wilderness Survival Merit Badges and things like that you had to do and at the time it makes you really [00:31:00] nervous, I don't think I can do this, But then not only do you do it, then you come out better for it on the other end of things.

I just remember my parents telling me that first year I went to summer camp, the growth and the maturity that came from when you left for when you get back, because you really are Figuring things out, and you're, you know, really reliant on things, and there's always a lot going on, a lot of fun activities, and just being out there with Mother Nature is just such a beautiful thing right there, and it's I think it's so underappreciated these days, for sure.

it's one of the points that Pope Francis makes in his apostolic exhortation on, you know, Minister of Youth, Christos Vivas, and it's one of the places where scouting is specifically mentioned. And not only does he talk about, you know, being, you know, out in the environment and all these wonderful things from that but he speaks about these, Things, the outdoor adventure being in the spirit of St.

Francis of Assisi these experiences can be a real initiation into the school of universal fraternity and contemplative prayer. [00:32:00] So that in itself too, like you have, as John just mentioned, you have these buddies. I have a Zoom meeting every once in a while with some of my friends from Scouting, so that fraternity of the outdoor experience as well and, you know, Maybe everybody doesn't know all the aspects of Scouting.

One of the most memorable things for me in Scouting was the Order of the Arrow, the ordeal, and we spent, you know, we had to spend time in silence outside, you know, and I think back to that when I think about what is contemplative prayer, you know, and so Giving kids the opportunity to do that, to be silent, hiking with them and saying, okay, for the next five minutes, nobody's talking.

Right. And so, you know, that, that's part of the uniqueness, I think, of scouting and the outdoor adventure. There's so many aspects of it.

Okay, so now, John, I, and it's funny that you asked, answered that question that way, Father, just that you made that comment, because my next question was literally going to be, what was your, what's your fondest memory that you have? Of Scouting, okay, of your time as a Scout, and so you just mentioned, you [00:33:00] know, the OA or the Arrow you know, Initiation thing, and I remember that very well right there the weekend, and not only the night of, but the weekend trip, or anything like that.

John what would one of your best memories as a Scout be, or one of the

the peanut butter and jelly?

besides the peanut butter and jam? I mean, that's hard to beat.

You know, it

can, Trump, that.

Well, it's funny my dad was tapped out to become a member of the Order of the Arrow and it was raining that that night. And I was one of the OA members that helped the guys come back and we were walking along and they had this scoutcraft display area with tents and things like that.

And the next thing I know, my dad's in one of the tents. He unzips the the zipper and waves at everybody like, You guys slept in the rain, and I didn't. And it's like, okay, Dad, we understand.

And

There's a lot of memories.

oh, so many. And for those not familiar with the Order of the Arrow, you can [00:34:00] Google that on your own and we won't get into all that, but just another great opportunity within the scouting world. So, what are some of the goals for the future of Catholic Scouting? Where do you see Catholic Scouting going here over the next five years?

I see it we are trying to form better and tighter relationships with organizations like the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, The National Catholic Education Association. We are going to have a display at the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Conference on Abuse. We're going to be we were there last year.

Youth protection.

thank you, whatever. Anyway, we know what we were doing. And then we have we're trying to encourage in our diocese to form stronger relationships with the bishop. Some of the bishops still don't understand what [00:35:00] scouting is about, that we are a youth ministry and that you can use us as part of your youth ministry and how that formulates. So, basically you want to have a better message, better communications. So people understand who we are, not that we're telling them all the organized scout units, but just make them aware that this opportunity is there for them.

Go ahead father.

Yeah, I mean, I would obviously agree with John, because that's what the two of us have worked on over these years that we've served as the National Chairman and Chaplain is is developing these relationships. You know, there's a lot that happens in the church of, you know, segregation and silos and, you know, and and trying to be able to bridge those gaps.

I mean, for a long time, we've said scouting is youth ministry, and people who are involved in youth ministry Didn't know what that meant. It's what do you know? Youth ministry is that group that beats on Sunday night in the church. That's youth ministry, right? [00:36:00] So I think developing those partnerships, supporting one another, learning from one another and moving past the idea, although yeah, those are the kids that go out and play in the woods.

You know, what is scouting? Scouting is ministering to and with young people and has the same goals as every other young person. organization that is trying to to care for our young people. And, you know, we are living in a world where our young people are just being bombarded with so many different things and being pulled in all kinds of different directions.

So I would just echo John that my hope, you know, the Catholic scouting and the relationships that we've fostered. It's not just about making everybody be scouts. It's about, you know, coming together with those who have the same goals in mind and helping young people to live in this crazy society and world that we live in.

And for, and help to, you know, have some fortitude in what we believe are good, healthy, strong ways to, to form young [00:37:00] people.

All right. So, so this podcast reaches Catholic school leaders as we were kind of talking before not only in the United States but all over the world. So there are Catholic school leaders that may listen to this who are principals, pastors maybe a bishop or two listening in today. But if you had one message that you could share with our Catholic school leaders about the value of scouting, what would it be?

For me, the message is we are here to help you.

Yeah. You know, and that that. The whole concept of scouting is about service. It's not self promotion in any way. So, you know, how can the structure, scouting has such real strong, well developed structure. So how, you know, how can we help you? Let us help you. I would, you know, say that too. Let us help you.

You know that and I think that's, One of the, you know, staff members that we work with at the [00:38:00] USCCB he admitted that when he initially met us, he thought, he said, I thought you're a bunch of scout people trying to get involved in the church. Now I see that you have a real true desire to to help their church, that you are the church and you're trying to use what you have to offer the church.

So I guess that, you know, the long range five years, whatever it might be that scout, that, Bishops, priests, teachers, principals say, they look to Scouts and say, how can you help us with this? How can you help us to organize? How can you help us to catechize? How can you help us to give some leadership opportunities to our young people?

That's awesome. And I would encourage anybody that's thinking about that's maybe hearing God tap them on the shoulder and go, Hey, this is a good thing for your community. Reach out and we'll talk here in a minute, just how they can reach out to you to get more information.

But let's give them a teaser though here real quick. Tell me some things that are coming up here over the next 365 days that people that are involved with scouting have to look forward to. I'm going to guess I heard. Before the December 24th, obviously starting something big, [00:39:00] but what are some other things that are coming up here that people will be involved with that are going to just be amazing experiences,

Well, the new activity patch, the the Jubilee is coming out. You can go on our website to find out information. We will have a booth. at the National Catholic Education Association. Unfortunately, their conference is at the same time as our conference. However, we do have people that live in the Orlando area that will be there to answer questions, like we did in Pittsburgh, and one of them is a judge, so you better watch out, she's the judge.

So, yeah

Hopefully less rain in Orlando than we had in Pittsburgh, right, John? Hopefully less rain this time, you know?

But I think in 2026, our conferences are not going to be at the same time like there, it wasn't here when it was in Dallas and because we really, Father Gerard and I really want to go to [00:40:00] them and welcome everybody and build relationships while we're there.

So, you know, we have a national conference coming up in April in Charlotte. It's open to anybody that would like to come. It's April 24th to the 27th, and we have the Chief Scout Executive will be our keynote speaker on our banquet night on Saturday, the 26th. We also have Maria Parker, who is, works for the U.

S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who will be doing a presentation on that formation document that Father Jethro Jones, Learn, Teach, and Send. Did I get that right?

No, listen, teach,

Listen, teach,

Listen, teacher.

See, you're just not a good listener, John.

That's what it is.

He's struggling with the first part of that, you know?

Ah, man. Anyway the, one of the other speakers, which should be interesting Isabel Sancho, who is assistant at [00:41:00] the St. Thomas University, who's going to be talking about growing up in a Catholic scouting family. Her older brother is a brother with the Dominicans, and he's studying to be a priest in St.

Louis. and her younger sister is an elementary school teacher in Miami and their whole family has been involved with Catholic Scouting all her life. So that would be, that'll be an interesting presentation. So those things are coming up.

I would just add, we've talked about it a couple times but just to you know, put it out there too that because of this great relationship that we've developed with the U. S. CCP's Secretary for Youth and Family is we are, helping to financially support the rollout of Listen, Teach, Send.

Because, you know, sometimes bishops write documents, or organizations help bishops write documents, and that's it. Then, you know, but the effort with this of Listen, Teach, Send is really to have these [00:42:00] National gatherings where people can come together and learn about the document, have these discussions about how can we support one another.

So, that's going to come from their office, the dates and how that all happens, but we'll be present, you know, to that, we're going to help financially support it. And we'll have representatives that are part of the committee. Those presentations too. Um, and of course, we'll continue to be present at the National Catholic Youth Conference, the the conference that happens in February with the with youth ministers called Exchange.

So, You know, continue to find us and at those places. And also, we do have, one of the things that we, I think was important for us to mention as a gift of scouting, what we do is that we really have some very good training and helping, you know, adults to be trained at how to work and how to communicate with kids.

And so, This summer, every summer, we usually try to do this. We have a conference out in New Mexico at the Philmont Scout Ranch called Scouting in the Catholic Church. And it's a, you know, it's a great opportunity for adults to come and be a part of amazing [00:43:00] place. We call God's country out there and in northern New Mexico, learn about scouting, be in a, you know, in a great environment.

It's also an opportunity for families to come as well. So, you know, that's something that. When we get to the point of telling people how to find us, that's one of the things that they want to look for.

Oh, 100%,

that and we're giving away, we have 36, 000 worth of scholarships we'll be awarding this spring to young people

That's right. Yes, yeah, we do have the Catholic Eagle

I will not be at those presentations because I can't say the name.

That's right,

Well, and will you be at the Jamboree? Or no, in

Oh, we always are. We always

Always in West Virginia. It's a beautiful area right there where they have that. And I'll tell you that Charlotte's a beautiful city as well, so you're really going to enjoy your

At the last Jamboree, Bishop Fisher and the Denuncio said Mass, and there was 4, 000 Catholic Scouts in attendance.

What a beautiful sight. Beautiful. [00:44:00] So, anything else you would like for our listeners to know about Catholic Scouting of America, and how can our audience connect with you to learn more about bringing Catholic Scouting to their schools or their parishes?

Well, the first thing we want to know is how you're going to get involved with our organization, since you're an Eagle Scout.

Haha,

Ha.

we'll be over, again, that means I gotta get to Charlotte, right? I better start booking that now, get on the train that's going over there, the NC Rail that's going over that way.

All right. We'll get you.

all right.

So yeah, as I mentioned before, CatholicScouting. com, it's the easiest thing to remember at this point and through that you know, it's we have a couple of, we have two websites and other places in social media, but CatholicScouting. com is the portal to get you everywhere else.

It's through CatholicScouting. com, you can link to our main website that has lots of other information about our structures and everything, and, through that, you can get John or me as well, too. So, and any of our other our leaders.

Well, I can tell you as a former principal, having Catholic Scouting on [00:45:00] your campus really brings a lot of life, brings a lot to the campus community. So if you are out there and hearing this podcast and this sounds like something that may be a great fit at your school, and I'll be honest, there's a lot of great opportunities here and it's a great fit for your school, so it should be a great fit for your school, please visit catholicscouting.

com, give them a look, reach out. And and make bringing a Catholic scouting to your community a reality. So, John, Father Gerard, I want to say thank you so much for your time today. It's been a pleasure to speak to both of you and wishing you nothing but the best luck and moving forward.

I'm eager to see where Catholic scouting is going here over the next couple of years.

Well, thanks for having us, John.

Me too.

Well, I want to say a big thank you again to Fr. Girard and to John Anthony for joining me today on this episode of the Catholic School Leaders podcast. Thank you so much for your time. It was a great conversation. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with others in your network. Have a [00:46:00] blessed day.