Catholic Scouting at 1310 West Main Street, Lexington, KY 40508-2048 US -  2009 Bishop's Dinner

Above: Left to Right - Fr. George Wilson, Pastor of Panagia Pantovasilissa Greek Orthodox Church of Lexington, KY, and daughter Kleoniki Wilson, Senior Girl Scout; Brenda Black, Chief Operating Officer, Girl Scouts of KY's Wilderness Road Council; Most Reverend Ronald Gainer, Bishop of Lexington; and Scout Chaplain Fr. Mike Weglicki.

Over 40 scouters and young guests gathered at the Ninth Annual Catholic Committee on Scouting's "Bishop's Dinner" on September 24, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Lexington.  The dinner showcases the Catholic religious emblems programs and Catholic scouting activities in the Diocese of Lexington and helps Girl Scout and Boy Scout leaders learn about resources available and network with one another.

Chairman Mike Strother welcomed everone and gave the signal to head over to the pizza and salad buffet.  After dinner, Girl Scout Representative Brenda Black spoke briefly about some of the growth in the Wilderness Road Council this year and also outlined some of the new guidelines for the Girl Scout Gold Award.  Blue Grass Boy Scout Council Chief Executive Kelly Hampton was also on hand to thank the CCS for providing a good model of support for the religious emblem program available to scouts.  He also noted that next year marks the 100th anniversary of Boy Scouting in the USA, and while there will be a special time to look back at the rich heritage of Boy Scouts, as always, the scout program keeps its eyes on tomorrow.

Special guest Fr. Jeffrey Shooner, pastor of St. Lawrence Church in Louisville, discussed his formative experience as summer ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch while he was a student at the Air Force Academy.  He also talked about participating in the religious awards training program at Philmont last year (where he met CCS committee member Ben Alexander).  In his summary, Fr. Jeff recalled his thought as ranger that seeing the starry night sky at Philmont in all its glory, far from the artificial night lights of our modern world, is the same experience that Jesus and his disciples would have had on the Sea of Galilee.  That special physical connection, spanning so many years, is a wonderful aspect of the scouting experience. 

Ben then challenged attendees to join him in contributing to a scholarship fund to help provide assistance to scouters who are interested in attending the training at Philmont.  Ben kicked things off with a $100 contribution.


As an addition to the program this year, two scouts shared some details of their Girl Scout Gold Award and Boy Scout Eagle Scout projects: 

Kleoniki Wilson, a Senior Girl Scout, discussed how she formulated and carried out her project.  Her father is the pastor of the Panagia Pantovasilissa Greek Orthodox Church in Lexington KY, and as Kleoniki explained, she has always had a very close connection to the community there and has earned some of the religious emblems offered by the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting.  For her Gold Award project, Kleoniki put together both a DVD virutal tour and a 60th anniversary retrospective of her church.

Atticus Moorman, a Life Scout who is finishing up requirments for Eagle Scout, discussed and showed some photos from his recently completed Eagle Project. Atticus organized an effort to restore an abandoned family cemetery in a rural area near his home.   The cemetery was completely overgrown with weeds and invasive plants such as honeysuckle, before the effort.  Photos showed the hard work involved with clearing years of brush and overgrowth, and then the dramatic difference after the project was complete.

Fr. Mike Weglicki and Bishop Gainer rounded out the evening with their closing remarks.  Fr. Mike continues as a member of the NCCS Executive Board to give input into nationally based programs and bringing back resources and ideas from the various NCCS workshops and programs.  Bishop Gainer thanked our scout presenters for their hard work, and thanked the gathered leaders and scouters for their hard work in ministering to youth through the scout programs.

Click on "Photos from the 2009 CCS Bishop's Dinner" on the right to see pictures from the event!