THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603210163
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
More than 400 celebrants turned out recently to see Bishop Walter F. Sullivan present religious emblems to almost 100 Boy and Girl Scouts at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Virginia Beach.
The annual ceremony is arranged by the Catholic Committee on Scouting of the Diocese of Richmond.
Duty to God is a fundamental principle of Scouting, noted the event's program. The Boy Scout Oath says that a Scout is reverent; a Girl Scout promises to serve God and country. The religious emblem program, available to Scouts of most faiths, recognizes those who complete a prescribed course of religious studies.
``This is part of Scouting's commitment to Christian living,'' said Kathy Lull, committee member, charter representative for St. John the Apostle Catholic Church and teacher for Catholic religious emblems. ``We want to bring our kids up with good Christian values.''
Said Scout leader and committee member Dora Fountain, ``Our Catholic committee is, I think, one of two in the nation that do combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities.''
Scouts receiving awards that day were from the Boy Scouts' Tidewater Council and the Girl Scouts' Council of the Colonial Coast.
Fountain's son, Christopher, 16, of Virginia Beach, was one of three Boy Scouts receiving their third and final religious medals. Daniel Hansen, 15, of Virginia Beach, and Andrew Trent, 17, of Norfolk, were the other two.
Two Girl Scouts, Jennifer Grimm, 16, of Chesapeake, and Stacey Reed, 14, of Norfolk, received their fourth and final religious medals offered through the Girl Scouts.
``It's pretty much an accomplishment,'' explained Reed, who attends Catholic High in Virginia Beach. ``I feel really good that I went this far. We had to work really hard for the other ones, doing community service and different activities. For this one, we had to read the Bible and pretty much study the Bible.''
Said Hansen, of the requirements for the medal he received, ``It had to do with us growing up as adults in the Catholic faith. It feels pretty good; it's an accomplishment. It's also kind of relieving that we don't have any more to go because they were getting harder and harder.''
Trent said, ``Words cannot describe it. I'm really excited about it. I had to do a lot more praying than I usually do.''
Sullivan was clearly pleased by the number of Scouts receiving awards and the crowd that came to witness the ceremony.
``I'm here because I'm a firm believer in Scouting,'' he said during the Mass. ``I want to lend my support whenever possible. Scouting is needed more today than ever before.
``Watching them come in,'' he joked, ``I said, `Wow, they have more emblems on them than bishops.' ''
There was one special honor: Scout leader Jay Greene Jr. received the Golden Pelican Award from the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., in recognition of his contributions. It was the first time the award was presented in the local diocese.
Before leaving to conduct another Mass, Sullivan said, ``We need to teach skills of the outdoors, how to survive and how to relate to others. I'm very proud of the young people who received religious emblems.''
Added the Rev. John Peck of St. Gregory's, ``It's always nice to see an activity . . . an organization would think enough of faith to give medals. It's always a nice thought.'' MEMO: SCOUT AWARDS
These are the Scouts and the awards they received at the recent
ceremony:
Church Of The Ascension: Christopher Hallas, Light of Christ; Richard
Giessuebel, Parvuli Dei.
Chapel Of The Good Shepherd: Staci Follansbee, I Live my Faith; Kayla
Myers, I Live my Faith; Christopher Fountain, Pope Pius XII.
Holy Spirit: Blyss Fadley, Family of God; Shannon Jones, Family of
God; Sarah Medina, Family of God; Christine Sarkis, Family of God;
Joseph Shore, Parvuli Dei; Cristina Robinson, I Live my Faith.
Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base Chapel: Matthew Burgess, Parvuli
Dei; James Gerbig, Parvuli Dei; John Sargent, Parvuli Dei; Daniel
Hansen, Pope Pius XII.
St. Gregory the Great: Madeline Begault, Family of God; Kara Gray,
Family of God; Kimberly Hedley, Family of God; Shannon McDermott, Family
of God; Erin McNaught, Family of God; Annie Sangenario, Family of God;
Lauren Sparks, Family of God.
St. Luke: Monica Rearick, Family of God.
St. Mark: Theodoric Mattes, Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei; Elizabeth
Harrison, Family of God.
St. Matthew: Nona Aragon, Family of God; Christina Bickel, Family of
God; Kathryn Bjorgaard, Family of God; Patricia DeVoll, Family of God;
Michelle England, Family of God; Sarah Heiney, Family of God; Katelind
Karol, Family of God; Frances Little, Family of God; Erica Lowe, Family
of God; Allyce McKenna, Family of God; Katie McLaughlin, Family of God;
Katie Messa, Family of God; Krista Patrick, Family of God; Nicole Regna,
Family of God; Kerry Stolz, Family of God; Jasmin Vasquez, Family of
God; Ashley Wilson, Family of God.
Star Of The Sea: Brandon Caffrey, Light of Christ; Giovanni Ferro,
Light of Christ; Richard Kresinske II, Light of Christ; Casey LaRocque,
Light of Christ; Connor Miller, Light of Christ; Richard Reilly, Light
of Christ; Michael Whalen, Light of Christ; Charles Sewell, Parvuli Dei.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
John Agnese, left, Christopher Fountain, Daniel Hansea and Andrew
Treat received the Pope Pius XII emblem. Looking on are the Rev.
John Peck of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Dora Fountain
and Cecile Greene.
Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Bishop Walter F. Sullivan presented religious emblems at the annual
ceremony. ``I'm here because I'm a firm believer in Scouting,'' he
said.
by CNB