Scouts receive religious awards

PATERSON  Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were presented with religious awards during the annual combined diocesan Boy Scout and Girl Scout Sunday Mass Feb. 23 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here.

The main celebrant and homilist of the Mass was Father Christopher Barkhausen, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon, and the diocesan Boy Scout chaplain. Concelebrating priests were: Father Frank Agresti, pastor of Our Lady of Pompei Parish in Paterson and the diocesan Girl Scout chaplain; Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects; and Father Paul Manning, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangeli­za­tion at Bayley-Ellard in Madison and diocesan vicar for evangelization. Bishop Serratelli traditionally presides at the liturgy but could not this year, because he has been recuperating from eye surgery earlier in the month.

Girl Scouts received the following religious awards: Family of God, I Live My Faith and the Mary, the First Apostle, award. The Boy Scouts received the Ad Altare Dei (“To the Altar of God”) medal, the Pope Pius XII medal and the Pillar of Faith award.

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The Family of God program, offered to girls, ages 7 to 9, enrolled in Girl Scouting, helps them discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their families and parishes.

Recipients were: Sofia Giordano, St. Mary, Pompton Lakes, and Olivianne Albert, Emma Drobik and Brielle Hensel, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

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The I Live My Faith program, offered to girls, ages 9 to 11, enrolled in Girl Scouting, helps them learn to appreciate more deeply the place God and religion occupies in their everyday lives and stresses the importance of helping others.

Recipients were: Kendra Michel, St. Anthony, Hawthorne; Olivia DeFreitas, Holy Spirit, Pequannock; and Addison Bradley, Eva Denoia-Crosby, Meghan Shay, Samantha Simon and Sabrina Spasevski, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

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Mary, the First Apostle, offered to Cadet­tes, complements the religious education carried out in Catholic schools and religious education classes. It reminds them of their commitment to faith through prayer, service and responsible community participation.

Recipients were: Michelle Cheng, The Chapel, Lincoln Park; Nicole Ann Chavez, Asha Winn and Priya Winn, Holy Spirit, Pequannock; Caroline Budesheim, Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock; Amber Dericks, Zoe Mitros and Samantha Seeber, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; and Kendall Bell, Christ Church, Rockaway.

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The Ad Altare Dei emblem is given to Catholic Scouts who have been registered in Boy Scouts for at least six months, have completed the sixth grade and fulfilled the requirements in the workbook based on the seven Sacraments.

Recipients were: Peter Clear, Troop 1, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; Derek Dougherty, Troop 1, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Flanders; Jack Michel and Brandon Ramos, Troop 30, St. Anthony, Hawthorne; and Catherine Herbes, Troop 1936, Christ the King, New Vernon.

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Pope Pius XII offered to Scouts of high-school age who are members of a Scout troop or Venture Crew focuses on different vocations — single, married, religious or ordained; occupations; and ministries in the church as calls from God and includes youth led discussions on current issues that face the Church and society.

Recipients were: Kevin Foerster and Mark Foerster, Troop 18, Holy Family, Florham Park; Liam Doherty, Troop 36, Our Lady of the Mountain, Long Valley; Gianna McCarthy, Troop 336, St. Luke, Long Valley; Connor Erezuma, Troop 7, St. Vincent the Martyr, Madison; Jesse Germano, Troop 85, St. Joseph, Newton; Vincenzo LaPilusa, Troop 85, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; and Michael Nicotra, Troop 88, St. Therese, Succasunna.

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Pillars of Faith Award is given to Scouts who have completed all four religious emblems in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts: Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altare Dei, and Pope Pius XII.

Recipients were: Liam Doherty, Troop 36, Our Lady of the Mountain, Long Valley; Kevin Foerster and Mark Foerster, Troop 18, Holy Family, Florham Park; Vincenzo LaPilusa, Troop 85, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; and Michael Nicotra, Troop 88, St. Therese, Succasunna.

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Girls also were presented with awards at the parish level — Angel on My Shoulder and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha — that help them continue their faith formation and keep them involved in Scouting. Angel on My Shoulder is designed to acquaint the young girls with the special protector God has provided — our guardian angels, who help us to do the right thing.

Recipients were: Eliana Denoia-Crosby, Courtney Albert, Kaylee Gray and Mea Hayton, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

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The purpose of the St. Kateri Tekakwitha program is to help girls in grades 4 and 5 explore the life and faith of the saint. The lone recipient was: Sienna Cassel, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

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The My First Holy Communion program is designed to accompany the parish preparation for first Holy Communion and reinforce the concepts being learned.

Recipients were: Clare Glodde and Catherine Glodde, Assumption, Morristown, and Valentina Narrea, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains.

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Two Cub Scout awards were presented in the local parishes. One was The Light of Christ Award, which helps Tiger and Wolf Cubs, grades 1 and 2, develop a personal relationship with Jesus. With the parent’s active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the Cub will come to see Jesus as his friend.

Recipients were: Alec Shannon, Pack 69, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; Luca Campanelli, Ian Johnson, Kevin Johnson, John Schlitt, Benjamin Schlitt and Isaac VanHeerden, Pack 201, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; Cameron Deseh, Pack 108, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Branchville; Benjamin Caldwell, Pack 21, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton; Radley Cahili, Drew Elwertowski and Rocco Gallo, Pack 747, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Flanders; Sarah Igielski, Joseph McGoldrick and Jonathan Rowe, Pack 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt, West Milford; Kyle Ferrer and Shawn George, Pack 88, St. Jude, Hopatcong; Sean McGovern, Pack 31, Our Lady of Holy Angels, Little Falls; John Borduin, Noah Krause, Evan Smonelli and Chace Whaley, Pack 80, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta; Xavier Franko, Pack 295, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta; and Braden Till, Pack 108, Our Lady of the Valley, Wayne.

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The other award presented at parishes was The Parvuli Dei emblem, which helps Cub Scouts registered in the Bear and Webelos program, grades 3 to 5, explore a wide range of activities to discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their families and parishes and to develop a good, positive self-image through the contributions they can make to the group or community.

Recipients were: Joseph Marotte, Pack 80, Good Shepherd, Andover; Anthony Biago, Robert Clark, Patrick Clear, Marco DeStefano, Scott Miniter, Joseph Mondino and Raymond Peschetti, Pack 201, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Boonton; Xzavier Ortiz, Pack 108, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Branchville; Sebastian DeDior and Augustus Karlick, Pack 21, St. Philip the Apostle, Clifton; John Loatman and Aidan Shrekgast, Pack 6, St. Patrick, Chatham; Andrew Barrette, Pack 6, Corpus Christi, Chatham Township; Frank Gallo, Pack 747, St. Eliza­beth Ann Seton, Flanders; Bryan Duffy, Pack 143, St. Joseph, Lincoln Park; Brayden McGovern, Pack 31, Our Lady of Holy Angels, Little Falls; Rory Lago, Pack 34, Assumption, Morristown; Kyle Boland, Pack 31, St. Catherine of Siena, Mountain Lakes; John Brost, Pack 31, St. Bonaventure, Paterson; Brandon Neuhaus, Pack 143, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains; Chase Johnson, Pack 88, Resurrection, Randolph; Nicholas Boyanowski, Christopher Hiben Jr. and Ben Pornell, Pack 80, Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta; Hannah Igielski, Steven Igielski, Sarah Igielski and Douglas Rowe, Pack 159, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hewitt, West Milford; and Nathan Baron, Pack 143, Our Lady of the Lake, Verona.