By Rev. John C. Kieran, Chaplain

Young Lynn O’Neal kept 400 plus Girl Scout Leaders in happy suspense at the Northwest Georgia Girl Scout annual meet.

Lynn was there to share with the delegates her joy and thanks for the Girl Scouts who took her camping last August. She is one of many who is not able to go to regular camps. She is blind.

Each year Girl Scouts arrange Wicki Wacki Camp to enable children like Lynn to have the joys of camping. Wicki Wacki’s special buddy system allows the blind to join in all the fun of a scout camp.

The Wicki Wacki program is but one of the service projects in which Catholic scouts participate.

In recent years, scouting in the archdiocese has taken a big swing too more realistically “help other people at all times.” Troops are less interested in servicing themselves and more interested in giving service to others. The archdiocesan committees on Girl Scouting and Boy Scouting have found new ways of helping our youngsters in scouting fulfill the basic Scout Commitments of Service to God, fellowman and country.

The Catholic Religious Award Programs are the Scout’s unique way of developing his knowledge of, and his relationship with the Father. The enthusiastic scout spends six months to two years working on a program. He usually makes it part of his regular religious education. This year seven boys will be presented their Ad Altare Dei Emblems and five girls their Marian Medals at the diocesan award ceremony March 8 at the Cathedral.

An increasing percentage of Catholic sponsored units attend the annual scout retreats. These have been restructured and renamed by the diocesan committees so that religion becomes a natural complement to scouting.

A survey of the 91 boys who attended the Catholic Camparee last year was most encouraging. These Scouts praised the prayer - fun schedule. They were delighted to learn how to use the human activities of scouting for spiritual development and the worship of God. This year’s Camparee is scheduled for April 10 -12 and a Catholic Roundup for girls April 3 -5.

Many Catholic sponsored troops have undertaken special projects for their parishes and local committees in their eagerness to serve through scouting. A conscientious effort is being made to serve in areas of want and need. A new approach is the adopting of less well-equipped troops in poor areas by better-off troops. By sharing this way, our scouts are making a real contribution to help the underprivileged.

Scouting could not be alive and thriving in the archdiocese without good leadership. To help our leaders in their apostolate for youth, the diocesan committees have had enlightened speakers address their monthly meetings on Christian leadership. The first of a series of Scouter Development Courses for boy leaders was held last fall. This course is designed to help the leader better understand that his role as a scout leader can and ought to be a participation in the lay apostolate of the Church.

The 242 girl leaders and 211 boy leaders know that if they are to effectively lead Catholic scouts in what is foremost in life, they, too, must be the first to do their “duty to God.” Therefore they committed themselves to restudy the inseparable ties between scouting and Religion, and the expertise of effective Christian leadership.

With their dedicated direction we can be assured that our 1,500 girls and 900 boys in the only diocesan organized youth program, have a happy and meaningful future.