Catholic scouting - Infused with faith and prayer

Paul Hammond on efforts to revive Catholic scouting

Afew years ago, some Catholic men identified a great need to re-launch scouting in a Catholic context in the UK, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic, which had left many children and young people isolated.

As recently as 1984 there had been 603 Catholic scouting groups in England and Wales, with 23,792 members spread across beavers, cubs, scouts and venture scouts (male and female). The dioceses of Birmingham, Liverpool, Salford, Southwark and Westminster each had more than 50 Catholic groups. Today we can count the number on one hand.

The Catholic faith was originally integrated into scouting by Venerable Fr Jacques Sevin SJ. The founder of scouting, Lord Baden-Powell, was deeply impressed and famously said of him, “He made the best realisation of my own thoughts”. Fr Sevin’s vision and methods have subsequently been enriched over the past six decades by the Guides and Scouts of Europe (UIGSE-FSE), which is the only scouting movement recognised by the Holy See as an Association of the Faithful.

Catholic scouting is holistic and has five overall aims: health (physical, mental and intellectual), character, practicality, service, and sense of God. Under the Scouts of Europe pedagogy, boys and girls are kept separate, and the whole family is encouraged to be involved. The vast majority of time is spent outdoors and in uniform, and the emphasis is on peer mentoring, self-initiative and growth in virtue, rather than on collecting as many badges and experiences as you can. Everything is infused with faith and prayer as we strive to raise saints.

As 1st Gateshead FSE patrol leader, Aidan Soy, put it: “Scouting is a way to build our personality to be more independent, brave and strong. We take up the responsibilities of serving others, to put our fellow scouts before ourselves and most importantly to be closer to Christ.”

The re-launch of Catholic Scouting in the UK

In December 2021, Catholic scouting was re-launched in the UK by Robert Colquhoun and me, with help from the Federal President of the UIGSE-FSE, who visited Bedford and Gateshead, respectively, to provide information sessions and training. We are set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and are now an “Observer” member of the Federation. Our National Religious Adviser is Fr

Lawrence Lew OP, who has many years of UIGSE-FSE scouting experience. We have commenced with two groups: one in Bedford, the other in Gateshead. The Bedford group have the FSSP as their religious advisors; the Gateshead group have Fr Peter Hannah OP, assisted by various other priests with traditionalist sympathies. In each location we have meetings twice per month, which build up towards the annual camps, plus various day-trips.

Patron Saints

Each Catholic scouting group needs to discern for itself a patron saint. When setting up the 1st Gateshead group, we invited the children to vote for a patron, and they chose Bl Carlos Acutis due to his holiness at a young age; his interest in computers and sports; and his love for daily Mass and Eucharistic miracles.

During our February 2024 camp, which was held in Northumberland and included pilgrimages to Holy Island and Shepherd’s Law Hermitage, Fr David Phillips, a ex scoutmaster himself and a loyal supporter of our fledgling group, learnt that we had chosen Bl Carlo as our patron saint. The next day he not only offered veneration of a relic of Bl Carlo, but he generously presented the relic to our group to keep in perpetuity.  It was a wonderful surprise for the wolf cubs and scouts.

Expansion

We are keen to develop additional groups around the country, for both boys and girls, and we welcome any enquiries from parents who are keen to start one. Full assistance will be provided.

For more information, contact me, Paul Hammond, President of the UK association, at paul.hammond@gseuk. org or visit gseuk.org