Leaders see potential in Catholic scouting

When Deacon William Gaul Jr. of Gansvoort and Paul Bargher of Sidney were younger, they were Boy Scouts. Now in their 60s, they are still active in scouting, this time as volunteer leaders and promoters of Catholic scouting.

Recently, they were among more than 250 adult Boy Scout volunteers from across the U.S. who attended a meeting of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, held in Chicago.

The volunteers see their mission as using scouting as a "viable form of youth ministry," according to the group's website, www.nccs-bsa.org.

Years of service

Deacon Gaul, a member of St. Clement's parish in Saratoga Springs, has been a member of the Albany diocesan Committee on Scouting for 14 years. Now scouting chaplain, he is one of only four deacons to hold that position in the U.S.

Deacon Gaul has been involved in scouting for over 50 years, first as a Boy Scout himself, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and later as volunteer leader and council chair.

He endorses scouting because it promotes moral and family values, which he sees as important for boys and girls.

Catholic scouts

The deacon added that Catholic scouting programs are a means through which Catholic values can be taught and reinforced.

The biggest problem he has encountered is that Catholic values and the religious awards that scouts can earn aren't promoted by leaders at the unit level. He sees his job as constantly affirming that aspect of scouting.

"When I was a scout, we actually had Catholic units," he explained. "Now, there are very few of them, and the leaders, especially if they aren't Catholic themselves, don't really let the kids know about them."

Values

Paul Bargher, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Sidney, has been involved in scouting for 28 years.

"As a youth, I was a Boy Scout," he noted. "Years later, when my son joined, I got back into it as a volunteer. I've been with scouting ever since."

Now, as diocesan Boy Scouts chairman, he has an opportunity to reinforce Catholic values. Additionally, he is coordinator for the annual Boy Scout retreat, held in September at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville.

Ideas

Mr. Bargher said his trip to the NCCS meeting gave him great ideas on Catholic scouting.

Attending "was a very worthwhile experience for me because it gave me a chance to see how other leaders are making their Catholic programs work for the scouts. We shared some great ideas," he added.

"I've learned that everyone has the same goals. It doesn't matter where we come from; we all want to make Catholic scouting the best possible experience that it can be for our kids."

(6/29/06) [[In-content Ad]]