THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603260153
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 86 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 with 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.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
NORFOLK SCOUTS
These are the Norfolk Scouts and the awards they received:
Christ The King: Marc Agnese, Ad Altare Dei; Diane Rozelle,
Marian Medal; John Agnese, Pope Pius XII; Andrew Trent, Pope Pius
XII.
Our Lady Of Victory: Michelle Cassidy, Family of God; Sarah
Lesniak, Family of God.
St. Pius X: B.J. Clark, Light of Christ; Alfred DiRosa III, Light
of Christ; Joshua Golden, Light of Christ; Ryan Kavalauskas, Light
of Christ; Joseph Keefe, Light of Christ; Roman Lopez, Light of
Christ; Anthony Sala, Light of Christ; Matthew Tolentino, Light of
Christ; Angela Delgado, Family of God; Heather Foster, Family of
God; Sophie Jonson, Family of God; Courtney Black, I Live my Faith;
Meredith Cassidy, I Live my Faith; Victoria Delgado, I Live my
Faith; Mary English, I Live my Faith; Nicole Roukas, I Live my
Faith; Keely Shafer, I Live my Faith; Nicole Shirey, I Live my
Faith; Michelle Leahey, Marian Medal; Candy Ligutan, Marian Medal;
Jennifer Grimm, Spirit Alive; Stacey Reed, Spirit Alive.
by CNB