Scouts Take Part in Archdiocesan Retreat

Scouts Take Part in Archdiocesan Retreat

On Saturday, Nov. 22, about 45 Scouts and more than a dozen Scouters and parents (most of them in the photo above) gathered for a day of retreat at Immaculate Conception Church in Stony Point.  Fr. Herb DeGaris, pastor and archdiocesan Scout chaplain, hosted them.  The retreat was open to all Scouts in the archdiocese, but the attendees were mainly from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Orange counties, primarily those in the Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII religious emblems courses.

Retreat coordinator Tom Liberati bestows the St. George
Religious Award upon Fr. Herb DeGaris.

Adults had a separate retreat program as well as the option to be trained as religious emblems counselors.

The youths’ program included a talk on vocation given in church by the archdiocesan vocations director and seems to have been well received; 3 sessions with witness talks and discussion led by 3 older Scouts (one of them given by a Salesian HS student); 

opportunity for the sacrament of Reconciliation with Fr. Herb or your humble blogger (a good number of both youths and adults celebrated the sacrament); instruction on praying the Rosary; a short period of Eucharistic adoration; and an “instructional” celebration of the Eucharist in which Fr. Mike explained different aspects of Mass (besides a homily on the gospel).  The “instructional” Mass has been part of the retreat program for years and years, instituted by the late Msgr. Anthony Marchitelli when he was archdiocesan chaplain.  One of the program sessions was a lesson on St. Carlo Acutis, including the chance to earn a special patch by completing some activities, besides the customary retreat patch.

There was a separate program, centered on the 2025 Jubilee, for the 2 Cub Scouts.

The Archdiocesan Committee on Scouting spent several months planning the retreat, particularly guided by Tom Liberati.

Photos: https://shutterfly.onelink.me/1053802476/pumpcf28. The group shot was taken by Ralph Travaglini, one of the parents, who was kind enuf to share it.