By Jonathan Martinez - Florida Catholic
Boys and Girls Scouts from throughout the Archdiocese of Miami enter Blessed Trinity Church at the start of the Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Boys and Girls Scouts from throughout the Archdiocese of Miami enter Blessed Trinity Church at the start of the Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Caroline Rojas, center, Brownie Girl Scout from St. Bartholomew Church in Miramar, smiles during the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass. Caroline received the Mother Mary emblem.
Capuchin Friar Father Nicholas Mormando, Guardian of a new Capuchin Franciscan Friary in Fort Lauderdale, speaks to Boy and Girl Scouts at the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass. The Mass took place at Blessed Trinity Church in Virginia Gardens.
Carlos Mory, Cub Scout from St. Timothy Parish in Miami, and Nicolette Labiosa, Brownie Girl Scout from Our Lady of Lourdes, Miami, take up the offertory during the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Capuchin Franciscan Father Nicholas Mormando, in residence at St. Coleman Church in Pompano, celebrates the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass. The Mass took place at Blessed Trinity Church in Virginia Gardens on June 1.
Boy and Girl Scouts from throughout the Archdiocese of Miami were honored during the Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass. The Mass took place at Blessed Trinity Church in Virginia Gardens.
Alahna Griffiths, Brownie Girl Scout from St. Bartholomew Church, Miramar, prays during the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass. Alahna received the Mother Mary emblem.
Bryce Griffiths, Cub Scout from St. Bartholomew Church, Miramar, receives the Light of Christ emblem from Deacon Emilio Blanco during the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
From left, Sebastian Gomez, Anthony Arteta and Zachary Seymour show the emblems they received at the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Photography: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
VIRGINIA GARDENS | Local Scouts received a number of faith-themed honors at the annual Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass, held at Blessed Trinity Church June 1.
Father Nicholas Mormando, a Capuchin Franciscan friar serving in the Archdiocese of Miami, celebrated the Mass, which was attended by Boy and Girl Scout troops from throughout the Archdiocese of Miami.
“Scouting gives kids a chance to explore their faith outside of the regular confirmation, Communion exercises,” said Barry Ekle, member of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and parent of one of the awarded Scouts. “They also get an appreciation of nature and they see how scouting and Christianity/Catholicism dovetail into each other and service the community.”
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
Bryce Griffiths, Cub Scout from St. Bartholomew Church, Miramar, receives the Light of Christ emblem from Deacon Emilio Blanco during the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Over the years, the Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass has been held at different parishes in the archdiocese. Invited to participate are Brownies, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and Boy Scout troops affiliated with South Florida parishes. Scouts range in age from 5 to 21. At the end of the Mass, religious emblems were awarded.
“It’s a celebration of their yearlong work,” said Chris Zavatsky, counselor for St. Timothy Church’s Boy Scout Pack #8. “Each week the pack does little exercises, some of them are service projects, some of them are just journeys of faith. There were also some service projects which were family-oriented or faith journeys that would need to be done with their families around the dinner table.”
In all, 31 awards were given to deserving Scouts from the different organizations.
God is Love, Daisy Girl Scouts: Designed to promote growth in faith by teaching youth about God’s love. Awarded to Juliet Rodriguez from St. Bartholomew Parish in Miramar and Peyton Kubis from St. Maximilian Parish in Pembroke Pines.
Mother Mary, Brownie Girl Scouts: Explore the Bible, prayer, and Mary’s relationship with her family and God. Awarded to Liah Aurelien, Alahna Griffiths, and Caroline Rojas from St. Bartholomew.
Light of Christ, Cub Scouts: Work to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Awarded to Jean Michel Rosier and Bryce Griffiths from St. Bartholomew; George Clarke from the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Key West; Julian Alvaro from Our Lady of Lourdes, Miami; and Carlos Mory and Ethan Serrano from St. Timothy.
Family of God, Brownie Girl Scouts: Discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their family and parish. Awarded to Isabela Fernandez and Nicolette Labiosa from Our Lady of Lourdes and Nicole Rodriguez from St. Bartholomew.
Parvuli Dei: The purpose of this emblem is to help young boys explore a wide range of activities in order to discover the presence of God in their daily lives, as members of their families and parishes, and to develop a good, positive self-image through the contributions they can make to the group or community. Awarded to Logan Castillo from Our Lady of the Lakes, Miami Lakes; Jordan Fernandez from Our Lady of Lourdes; Jacob Griffiths, Nathaniel Rojas, Jaelen Sealy, and Jeremy Vega from St. Bartholomew; Lucas Estrada from St. Catherine of Siena, Miami; and Daniel Fernandez de Castro and Matthew Zavatsky from St. Timothy.
My Faith and Promise: Sixth, seventh, or eighth grade Scouts are led to a closer relationship with Christ and his Blessed Mother. Awarded to Raymond Lanza and Matthew Ros from Our Lady of Lourdes.
Ad Altare Dei: Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts and Venturers develop a Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the seven sacraments. Awarded to Matthew Cunningham, Timothy Cunningham, Julian Lopez, and Jonathan Schnoor from St. Mark Parish in Southwest Ranches; and Anthony Arteta, Sebastian Gomez, and Zachary Seymour from Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Miami.
“Those of us involved in the Catholic Committee on Scouting find it tremendously rewarding to see all these Scouts standing here today,” said Lisette Reina-Naranjo, outgoing chair of the Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Committee on Scouting.
She spoke after the awards presentation. “They are here to receive their awards and emblems and they have worked on them all year, some of them a few years. And it’s great to see that they kept through that commitment to the point that they are here today and followed that faith journey that brought them here.”
“It’s a faith journey; it’s enrichment of our faith,” said Maggie Pellegrino, incoming chair of the archdiocese’s Catholic Committee on Scouting. “It is not about getting the medal, it's about learning more about your faith.”
FIND OUT MORE
- For more information about the Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Committee on Scouting, email [email protected].
Photographer: JONATHAN MARTINEZ | FC
From left, Sebastian Gomez, Anthony Arteta and Zachary Seymour show the emblems they received at the Archdiocese of Miami's Catholic Scouting Presentation Mass.
Correction: As originally posted, the story said Capuchin Franciscan Father Nicholas Mormando was "in residence" at St. Coleman Church, Pompano Beach. In fact, he is the Guardian of a newly established Capuchin Franciscan Priory based in Fort Lauderdale.
