 Boy Scout Troop 148, which was chartered by Knights of Temecula Valley Council 9964 in Temecula, Calif., participates in a summer camp in 2008.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) celebrates its centennial in 2010, and the Knights of Columbus are joining in the festivities.
BSA’s national jamboree will take place July 26 through Aug. 4 at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. According to Bill Davies, national chairman for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS), numerous Scouts from Knights of Columbus-sponsored troops will be present at the event, which will include a Sunday Mass with an anticipated attendance of 15,000 Catholic Scouts. He added that the Knights would also have its own booth in the jamboree’s exhibition area.
The Order’s involvement in Scouting has existed virtually from BSA’s beginning. The close link between the two organizations is reflected in the fact that Christian Brother Barnabas McDonald, founder of the Columbian Squires in 1925, also served as co-founder of the Catholic Committee on Scouting in the early 1920s. Knights assist Scouts in such areas as financial aid, use of facilities and collaboration on fundraising and other projects.
“The Knights of Columbus is one of our key relationships in Catholic Scouting,” said Davies, who is a member of Msgr. Joseph P Vacek Council 2232 in Hugo, Minn.
He reported that there are nearly 1,400 K of C-sponsored units in the United States, totaling more than 40,000 Scouts and approximately 17,000 adult leaders. These strong numbers can be attributed, in part, to an initiative begun in 2006 in which Knights and the NCCS teamed up to promote the formation of new Scouting units across the country.
Councils consistently support Scouts by donating funds for religious emblems and by providing use of their facilities for troop activities.
“Having a place to meet, this is one of the advantages the Knights have. It’s a great opportunity to bring Scouts in,” Davies explained.
Scouting is a valuable form of youth ministry, added Davies, noting that the objectives of Scouting fall right in line with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 1997 document, Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry. That document’s three objectives are: empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today; drawing young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the faith community; and fostering the personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
“Each one of those objectives will be met in some phase of Scouting,” Davies said.
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