Eligibility

• A member of an Eastern Catholic church
• A registered member of the Boy Scouts of America, active in your troop for at least six months, and completed sixth grade before beginning the program
• Designed for the 12-13 year old. Other Scouts, older or younger may use the program.
• This program is to be used as an alternate to the Ad Altare Dei program. It is not appropriate to work on both programs.
• Complete the program before your 18th birthday to receive the recognition. For Scouts who are mentally or physically handicapped, the program may be made more flexible.

Purpose

• The "Light is Life" is a program developed by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) for Boy Scouts of the Eastern Catholic churches. Light is Life respects the cultural and ritual differences among the various Eastern Catholic Churches.
• The overall goal of the Light is Life religious emblem program is to bring about in the Scout, through his Eastern Christian Scouting experience, a deeper awareness of his share in faith-life. Then going forth, he will witness this life through maturity in communal worship and in Christian formation of his world.

Methodology

• The method of presentation of each step is the learning concept basic to all Scouting learning experience. Each step has a 'guided discovery' through reading and questions; its 'teacher-learner' situation through discussion with the counselor; its 'application' through the projects; and its 'evaluation' by the Scout and his counselor and the Scout's discussion with his Scoutmaster of his progress.
• The most important aspect of the program is that the Scout grows in his spiritual experience of his relationship to God and the church. All else is secondary.

Instructions

• Ask your Scoutmaster, pastor, parish administrator, director if religious education, or any member of the troop committee if there is a Light is Life counselor in your parish or area. If there is a Light is Life counselor available, ask him/her to help your with the Light is Life program. Otherwise ask your local AAS counselor, priest, religious or catechist to help you. (Resource material is contained in the Light is Life Counselor's Guides  in the God With Us series of the Eastern Christian Formation Program.) Inform your Scoutmaster who will be assisting you in this program. While doing this program, share your progress with your Scoutmaster at your regular or special Scoutmaster's conference.
• After you have selected your counselor, you must complete the application to begin working on the Light is Life Emblem. You should first get the signature of your parents stating that they approve of your involvement in the program. You should then have the counselor sign that (s)he is willing to work with you on the program. The Scoutmaster should then sign certifying that you have met all the requirements to start the program, and that (s)he is aware of your involvement in the program. Lastly, you should get the approval of your pastor for you to work on and receive the emblem.

Do not tear the "Application" page out of the manual until the Board of Review at the end of the program.

• Standards for this program have been prepared by the Committee on Eastern Catholic Churches of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. All steps in the book must be completed before the Scout presents himself to the Religious Emblems Review Board and emblem presentation

No changes are permitted. Additional requirements may not be added. Scouts with special needs can easily complete the program, since the counselor has enough flexibility to present the program adapted to those needs.

• All journal entries, reports, and written work should be legible and neat. The book is to be examined by the counselor as the Scout proceeds through each step of the program. It is to serve as partial evidence of the completion of the Scout's learning objectives. It will also be a tool to help the Scout at the Board of Review or when submitting the application to the eparchial Scout chaplain, if there is no Board of Review available. It will also help explain the Scout's spiritual growth to others.
• The use of a Catholic Bible is required for this program. You will need to have one you can use.
• There are three parts to each step. When all parts of a step are completed, review study with the counselor. (S)He will sign and date the certification of completion for the step Spiritual growth should be evident when progressing from step to step.
• When all steps have been completed, the counselor should contact the eparchial Scout Chaplain or the Catholic Committee on Scouting for further direction concerning a Board of Review and presentation instructions. If the eparchial chaplain is not know, contact the eparchial chancery office to obtain the information or contact the Committee in Eastern Catholic Churches, NCCS, BSA, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079.
• Eparchial and BSA Youth Protection policies must followed.

NOTE: Counselors for the Light is Life emblem should be approved in advance by their pastors and the eparchial Scout Chaplain or Catholic Committee in Scouting. The Light is Life Counselor's Guide is an integral part of this program and contains the necessary resources for anyone, including those unfamiliar with Eastern Christianity. Scouter Development and counselor training are also recommended and may be required for counselors in your eparchy.

Suggested Time Requirements

• The program is designed to be completed in 12 months.

Sections

• Step A - Introduction

  1. Creation Reveals God's Presence
  2. Signs and symbols
  3. Icons
  4. Liturgy is Life

• Step B - Initiation

  1. Baptism - Chrismation - Eucharist
  2. Kingdom of God
  3. The Divine Liturgy

• Step C - Healing
• Step D - Vocation
• Step E - Toward A Christian Life Style