Youth Programs

There are 4 Religious Emblem programs available for scouts to earn. Two that can be earned by Cub Scouts, two that can be earned by Boy Scouts, and one that can be earned by Boy Scouts and Venturing crew members. By completing any of the Religious Emblems, the scout is also entitled to wear the BSA Religious Knot.

Scouts are encourage to earn all 4 emblems while they are on their Scouting and faith journeys.

• The Light of Christ emblem designed for 6-7 years old Cub Scouts.
• The Parvuli Dei emblem designed for 8-10 years old Cub Scouts.
• The Ad Altare Dei emblem designed for 13-14 years old Boy Scouts.
• The Pope Pius XII emblem designed for Venturing Crew Members and Boy Scouts 15 years old and older.

• The Light is Life emblem designed for Boy Scouts, 12 -13 years old in the Eastern Catholic Church. The Scouts in the Eastern Catholic Church will work on Light is Life in place of the Ad Altare Dei emblem.

There are currently 3 Religious Activity programs available for scouts to earn. The Rosary Series has 5 activities that teach the youth about the Rosary. The Footsteps of American Saints has 10 activities about individual who shaped the landscape of Catholism in the United States. The International Catholic Awareness program opens the youths' eyes to Catholism in other countries and cultures.

These activities are great for unit meetings, youth groups, families or to be worked on individually. Each activity comes with a colorful patch. The International Catholic Awareness program has an additional pin for the Cub Scouts and a Medallion for older scouts, and adults.

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting® has established the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Distinguished Scout Scholarship to be awarded to five outstanding Catholic high school seniors who are Scouts in a BSA program and continuing their education in college. The requirements are listed in the Eligibility Requirements section on this page. Applications are due to the NCCS office by March 1 of each year.

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting is pleased to announce its high adventure leadership program for older Catholic Boy Scouts and Venture Crew members at Philmont Scout Ranch. Designed to develop organizational and relational skills for leadership as well as nourishing the scout's spirituality, the program will bring Catholic high school youth from around the country together with selected priests, religious and seminarians for eleven days of backpacking on the trail including three days of intensive leadership training at a back country base camp.