Scouts to hold retreat

According to Rev. Joseph Schuck, diocesan chaplain for Scouting, the Diocese is the only one in the country to host a Scout retreat for 50 consecutive years.

While the retreat is for members from the Diocese, it has attracted Scouts from Rochester, Massachusetts and Maryland.

The encampment, as it is known, will take place Sept. 15-17. More than 350 Scouts are expected to camp out in the parking lot of the shrine, Father Schuck said.

Former Scouts, families of Scouts, and Cub Scouts and their families are invited to the closing Mass, which will be presided over by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard. It will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16.

"We would like to extend an invitation for Scouts and Scouters of the past 50 years to join in the event by participating in the closing Mass and joining in thanksgiving for the past 50 years and for blessings on the programs in the years to come," said Father Schuck.

The Diocese first held the retreat encampment in the parking lot at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. Auriesville was later selected for its natural setting. The Scouts sleep in tents and cook outdoors.

During the retreat, young men will complete a project they began four years ago: replacing the wooden crosses found throughout the shrine area.

The retreat encampment is important, the priest said, because "it helps sustain and strengthen the relationship with the boys. Scouting is supposed to be about God and country."

(For more information, contact Father Schuck at 607-369-2317.) (09-07-00) [[In-content Ad]]