Pope Pius XII is Catholic Scouting's church-related ministries
and vocation program.
The program deals with different life choices (single, married,
religious, ordained), occupations and ministries in the church
as calls from God.
It includes youth led discussions on current issues facing the
church and society, which are normally included as part of a Pius
XII retreat or day of recollection.
Eligibility
Registered Venture Crew Members and Boy Scout of Catholic Faith.
Designed for age 15-16 year old, but all registered Venturers
(male or female before their 21st birthday) and all
registered Boy Scouts (in high school, before their 18th
birthday) are eligible.
Requirements
Each Venture Crew Member and Scout must have their own Activity Book.
The program should be run by the candidates themselves, the adult serves
as a Moderator
Ideal group size is 4-12, but the course may be run with smaller groups.
A number of interviews and an investigation of a controversial issue
facing the church or society are integral to the program.
A retreat experience, ideally centered on the Pius XII program itself
and a ministries service project are required.
The program is designed to be completed in 9-12 sessions. As the youth
are older, two hour sessions seem to work well, and flexibility is often
required in scheduling sessions and interview feed back’s.
Successfully complete a Pope Pius XII Board of Review.
Diocesan and BSA Youth Protection policies must
be followed.
A trained religious emblems coordinator/counselor/moderator is required
to work on religious emblems. Contact your Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting to become trained and for ceremony schedules.
Getting Started
Identify a counselor. Ask your Scoutmaster, pastor, parish administrator,
director if religious education, any member of the troop committee,
or Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting if there is a emblem counselor in your parish
or area.
After you have selected your counselor, you must complete the
application to begin working on the Emblem program. The application
is in the Pope Pius XII Emblem book. The approval application
must be signed by the applicant, parent, counselor, Troop leader,
and pastor.
Emblem Books may be obtained most economically and quickly from
your local BSA Council Service Center Scout Shops. Alternatively,
they can be obtained directly from BSA Supply at "http://www.scoutstuff.org"
or through most Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting.
Scout's Role
Attend the sessions and as a Venture Crew Member/Scout, the candidate
is expected to actively share in group discussions and complete all
interviews and activities.meetings.
Actively work on the activities. All journal entries, reports, and
written work should be legible and neat.
Be prepared to share experiences at the Board of Review.
Keep the Religious Emblems Coordinator informed of his progress.
Facilitator's Role
Counselors for the Pope Pius XII emblem should be approved in
advance by their pastors and Scout Chaplain or Catholic Committee
in Scouting.
The Religious Emblem Facilitator Manual is
an integral part of this program and contains the necessary resources
for anyone. Facilitator Manuals may be obtained most economically
and quickly from your local BSA Council Service Center Scout Shops.
Alternatively, they can be obtained directly from BSA Supply at
"http://www.scoutstuff.org"
or through most Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting
All Religious Emblem Facilitators must have current BSA Youth
Protection Training. A Emblems Counselor must have Local Diocese
Youth Protection training.
Form the group
Act as Facilitator, not group leaders
Help the candidate focus on essential elements and important
issues
Keep the Religious Emblems Coordinator informed of the youth's
progress.
Program Completion
After all sections have been completed, the counselor will contact
the Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting to find out the schedule for the Pope Pius XII Board
of Review.
The Scout will sit before the Board of Review.
After Board of Review has been successfully completed, the counselor
should contact the Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting for further direction concerning presentation instructions.
Scouts who earn this Religious Emblem are also entitled to wear a
BSA Religious Knot over their left pocket. Please consult with your
local Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting to determine how knots are presented in your area. If
they are not presented with the Religious Emblems, then they can be
purchased at your local BSA Council Service Center Scout Shop with proof
that the scout received the emblem.
The
first rule in preparing recognition ceremonies is to keep them simple
but impressive. The second is to remember that the ceremony is for the
youth. Many Dioceses present their religious emblems in their Diocesan
Cathedral, either in the context of a liturgy or a prayer service. The
key is to make it special and memorable. See Religious
Emblems Reference Manual for presentation helps for your Diocese.
The
religious knot should be presented at a Troop Court of Honor or Venturing
Awards Ceremony. However, it can be presented along with the Emblem.
Each
diocese has one or two indivduals who are designated to purchase religious
emblems. Only these NCCS authorized submitters are allowed to order
emblems for their diocese. Please consult with your local Diocesan Catholic Committee
on Scouting to determine when and where the next Award Ceremony
will be held. NCCS authorized submitters submit orders using the Religious
Emblem Order Form.
