Duties of the Religious Emblems Counselor

One of the goals of the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting is to have as many young people as possible complete a religious emblem or recognition program each year. To aid in achieving this goal, the Committee is dedicated to recruiting and training Religious Emblems Counselors for each parish that uses Scouting programs in their youth ministry efforts.

Terminology

The Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts USA/Campfire USA each has a variety of religious awards programs designed for different age groups. For ease in understanding, the term "Scouts" will be used to identify all groups of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Campfire USA participants. Likewise, the BSA religious awards are properly referred to as "emblems" whereas Girl Scouts/Campfire USA program refer to awards as "recognitions." For the purposes of the Religious Emblems Counselor, the term "emblem" will be used to describe both "emblem" and "recognition."

Also, within the Religious Emblems/Recognitions programs, different titles which describe different functions are used. For example, those persons who will present the Light of Christ and Parvuli Dei programs are "Coordinators," the Ad Altare Dei as "Counselors," and the Pope Pius XII as "Facilitators." For Girl Scouts and Campfire USA programs, the official term is "Religious Recognition Moderator." For ease in understanding in this document and the work of the Catholic Committee on Scouting, all of these titles will be referred to collectively as "Counselors" unless it is necessary to distinguish a role.

Religious Emblems Counselor Responsibilities

A basic summary of the role of a Religious Emblems Counselor is that the perspective Counselor should approach the role from the point of view that he or she will be a youth minister of the Catholic Church. Counselors also serve as a contact for the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting and as a liaison for youth and their families in all aspects of the Religious Emblems program. Counselors are trained and certified by the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting.

Other specific duties of Religious Emblems Counselors include:

• promoting the emblems programs locally;
• Aiding parents and scouts to find and obtain correct information about the respective programs available;
• Serving as a resource for families to prepare, support, and follow through on their Scout's program progress;
• Acting as a liaison with parish pastor in setting up the necessary review meetings;
• Aiding parents in completing application and order forms;
• Developing and carrying out an appropriate recognition ceremony for the presentation of the religious emblems (note that the emblems for older Scouts are typically presented at a diocesan ceremony that is planned by the Catholic Committee on Scouting);
• Completing the evaluation forms and forwarding all feedback to the Catholic Committee on Scouting