By Paul McMullen
Of the more than 450 youths and a dozen adults who were honored at the 81st annual Archdiocesan Scout Mass March 4 at St. Casimir Church in East Baltimore, a group of Boy Scouts from Harford County were most noticeable.
Only five youths in the archdiocese received the Pillar of Faith Award, which goes to those who earn all four religious emblems offered to Scouts. All five hail from Boy Scout Troop 564, which is sponsored by St. Margaret, Bel Air.
Raymond Kimball IV, Samuel Werneke and Jonathan Yantz were honored at the Mass, which was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski. The other St. Margaret Scouts to achieve the honor were Paul A. Cillo III and Brendan Wright.
Cillo’s father, Paul, is among the adult leaders in Troop 564. The three members of the Troop present at St. Casimir pointed to other adults who have helped their ascent through the ranks, including Deacon Phil Seneschal, who is assigned to St. Mary, Pylesville, and Father C. Douglass Kenney, associate pastor of St. Margaret.
Yantz used his Eagle Scout project to make that point.
“We have a great group of adults who want to help,” Yantz said. “I’m doing landscaping at the rectory at St. Margaret, adding a line of trees on one side to dampen the noise. I’ll be planting four evergreens, they grow fast and tall. I’m working with Father Doug (Kenney) and Mary Ellen Bates (parish business manager).
For their Eagle projects, Kimball has proposed building an outdoor classroom at St. Margaret Middle School and Werneke aims to build a trail in Fallston. Yantz is a junior and Werneke a sophomore, respectively at The John Carroll School in Bel Air. Kimball is a sophomore at C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air.
The Duty to God Recognition went to Knights of Columbus Pangborn Council 1365 in Hagerstown. The Pope Paul VI National Quality Unit Award went to Troop 216, which is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Holy Trinity Council 3413 in Severna Park, and Troop 456, which is sponsored by St. Mark, Catonsville.
Troop 216 serves Scouts with special needs. Adult leader James Dunne and Troop member Brett Rosseach accepted the honor on behalf of the troop from Bishop Rozanski, whose concelebrants included Monsignor Thomas L. Phillips, archdiocesan Scout chaplain and pastor of St. Gabriel, Woodlawn; and Conventual Franciscan Father Dennis Grumsey, pastor of St. Casimir, which served as host to a reception after the Mass.