Photo credit Nick Caruso 

By Henry M. Holden

On February 3, Resurrection Parish, celebrated the second annual Scout Sunday. It was also the 109th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

Bill Dunne, Scout Master of Troop 53 in Shongum, thought it would be appropriate to assemble all the scouts together to celebrate Scout Sunday at Sunday Mass.

“I first approached Fr. John Tarantino, the parish administrator, last year asking him if Resurrection could host a Scout Sunday mass where we could invite the Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs to join together to celebrate the Scouting anniversary,” said Dunne. “We had a pretty good attendance last year with only a little promotion a few weeks prior to the event, so this year I began the preparation earlier.  Father Tarantino suggested that some of the Scouts could participate in the mass.”

The Scouts and leaders processed down the church aisle with their Scout Troops and Pack flags. This year they had a Scout lector (Dunne’s son did both readings), while another sang the responsorial psalms. 

Attendance was over 30 scouts and leaders showing up. “The turnout was great,” said Dunne. “This year we had three of the five Scout Troops and three of four Cub Packs represented at mass. (The other two Troops and one Pack are sponsored by St. Matthew’s, so they held their own Scout Sunday mass.)  Also, this year was the first Scout Sunday that included boys and girls (Brownies) representing Scouting BSA.

“We’re going to try and improve those numbers for next year,” said Dunne, a former Eagle Scout, who has been active in scouting for over eight years.

“I started out in the Cub Scouts as my son’s Den leader.’’ This past year, Dunne moved up from assistant scout leader to Scout Master.

Dunne has a vision for next year. “I’d like to have some of the Scouts earn their respective religious awards which could be presented to them by Father Tarantino in front of the congregation.” 

There was an added perk to this Scout Sunday. “I was told that the best part of going to Scout Sunday this year was the pancake breakfast that the Resurrection Parish Social Committee ran. That came from an 11-year old,” said Dunne.

Each year the social committee holds a pancake breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday. This year Scout Sunday coincidently fell on Super Bowl Sunday.

Dunne is in scouting because he found out how beneficial the program was for him growing up. “I learned to become a better leader and become responsible for what I did in my outside life, and I want to share the things I’ve learned with the new scouts.

“I get satisfaction out of knowing the boys I see coming in at fifth grade and making their way up, some through Eagle Scout and seeing the growth they have gone through into being a young man and learning the activities that scouting provides along with the program heavy with duty to God, I find that important, too.”

Photo credit Nick Caruso