The curriculum for the Parvuli Dei -- Children of God -- religious emblem builds on the first year by being more detailed and bringing greater focus on Christ in the lives of these third-, fourth- and fifth-grade Webolo and Bear Scouts. There were 30 recipients from seven packs who were honored.

The first part of an oath a Cub or Boy Scout takes is "duty to God and country," which was obvious when 97 Scouts were awarded their religious emblems on Sunday, May 17 at a Mass presided by Bishop Edmond Carmody to recognize their spiritual growth and accomplishments.

Two awards were presented to Cub Scouts: Light of Christ (34 recipients), Parvuli Dei -- Children of God -- (30 recipients), and two to the Boy Scouts: Ad Altare Dei -- To the Altar of God -- (24 recipients), Pope Pius XII (nine recipients). The ceremony ended with four adults receiving medals: Bronze Pelican (three recipients) and St. George.In his homily, Bishop Carmody told the Scouts they are an inspiration to young people and an example for others to follow. By learning skills in scouting, it is easy to become great community leaders.

"Your words, actions and good example are important," he said. "Be good and helpful to others; have time for them. (Many) people are sad, lonely and confused. They can experience the Lord Jesus through you. Help them realize God will love them 100 percent."

Emblems are given as various curricula are completed. The Light of Christ is for those in the first and second grade who are a Tiger or Wolf Scout. A total of six packs (groups of six) were represented. Criteria include learning about Christ in their lives, families and Church family.

Parvuli Dei recipients must be in the third, fourth or fifth grade, and a first-, second- or third-year Webelo or Bear Scout. There were seven packs honored. This award builds on the first – its curriculum is more detailed to help each Scout develop a personal relationship with Jesus.

Don Pesek, chairman for the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting, said Scouts need to earn their religious awards before any others – they are top on the priority list. They need to repay what God has given to them. "Every opportunity we have to get God in front of these guys," he said, "is a good thing. (We) are more than just cooking, camping and hunting."

The Ad Altare Dei is for middle school students in sixth grade and higher, and Scouts of first-class rank (new to scouting). There were five troops (groups of 20-30) represented. It highlights service to the church and covers the seven sacraments. Scouts work on projects to reinforce what is learned. Attending a retreat is required along with going to Mass regularly, receiving religious education, and an interview to determine if they have a solid background in their faith.

Pope Pius XII is for Scouts in the ninth grade and higher. Just three troops received this honor. Its focus is on being a mature Christian witness. It is interactive, involving a mentor, and there are discussions about social issues young men face, i.e. peer pressure, abortion, death penalty. This is a sharing of Catholic ideals where each can provide his own viewpoint.

Father Paul Hesse, Committee chaplain, said scouting keeps them connected to life in the Church.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to learn about faith on a deeper level than what they'd learn in Sunday school or [just] on Sundays," he said. "The awards bring a Scout closer to Christ and all our faith calls us to be as a servant of God." The idea behind scouting is to teach basic values, conduct, how to be reverent and upstanding citizens, Hesse said.

The adult awards recognized outstanding contributions to the spiritual needs and development of Scouts. Winners were chosen because of their focus on the part of the Scout law: "to be reverent."

Fr. Dennis Zerr, parochial vicar of St. Patrick Parish in Corpus Christi; and Veronica Adams and Ruth Luna, parishioners at St. Philip the Apostle, received the Bronze Pelican award given to individuals who promote scouting for a few years.

Father Zerr has assisted with the Ad Altare Dei and Pope Pius XII programs since 2006 and accompanied troops on camp outs to celebrate Mass. He has also been active in ceremonies, banquets and with the oversight of Cub Scouts as they become Boy Scouts.

Adams has been a member of the Committee since 2005. She helps plan this Mass, is a den leader, helped plan the 10 Commandment Hike this year, and been specially trained and a part of the Cub Scout Day of Recollection for three years.

Luna has been an avid scouter for nine years and is a den leader. She completed leader skills, training and assisted with training. Luna has served on the Committee for five years, helps plan this Mass, and led retreats and the 2008 Cub Scout Day of Recollection.

The St. George award was given to Lisa Bledsoe, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist. It recognizes someone who has served scouting for many years and is the highest religious emblem at the Diocesan level. St. George is the patron saint of Scouts.

She is the scout shop manager in Corpus Christi and promotes the earning of religious emblems of all faiths. Bledsoe designs the program for this Mass and coordinates refreshments for the reception afterward. She has promoted, advertised and encouraged participation in activities of the Committee, even restoring the Day of Recollection after it stopped being conducted for several years. Bledsoe provides a strong liaison between the Scout office and Committee.

Awards presented by Pack and Troop

Cub Scout - Light of Christ

PACK 36: Joseph Mejias

PACK 157: Michael "Atticus" Cavazos, Nicholas Daniel Garza, Paxton Hanna, Toby Johnson, Brian Kostoch, Ty Lechner, Matthew Lutz, Ben Mikulencak, Ryan Park, Riel Posada, Nathaniel Quiroz, O. Christian Ramos, Jacob Rivera, Michael Speed and Kyle Wendel.

PACK 162: Fernando Babiak III, Casey Burnette, Gilbert Chapa, Stephen Droppa, Adan Hernandez, Stephen Lara, Andrew Martinez and Liam Norris.

PACK 232: Joshua Aldrich and Jackson Carel

PACK 289: Nathaniel Barrera and Eric Robles

PACK 296: Matthew Benavides, Luke Cazalas, John Chapa, Jett Nicolet, Nicholas "Nico" Salgado and Benjamin Toren.

CUB SCOUT — PARVULI DEI

PACK 73: Manuel Navarro, Alex Porche and Trenten Wahlen

PACK 157: Brendan "Ryan" Leija, Luis Aaron Lopez, Aaron Martin, Noah Quiroz and Daniel Tindall.

PACK 162: Gonzalo "Andres" Barrientos, Nicholas Clarida, Sean Crosby., Noah Del Bosque, Kyle Gabbert, Jeremiah Hernandez, Marcus Hernandez, Austin Lara, Samuel Larkin, Stephen McCullough, Luke McKee, Marshal Blaine Moore, John Reilly Saenz and Gilbert Smith.

PACK 165: Michael Lopez

PACK 232: Kenneth Carel

PACK 289: Joseph Samuel Rey Perez

PACK 296: Jacob Benavides, Ryker Gonzales, Noah Ritter, Jay Thau and Cristian Toren

BOY SCOUT — AD ALTARE DEI

TROOP 157: Aaron Garcia and Marco Ramirez

TROOP 162: Aaron Alexander, Chris Farley, Kyle Guerra, Sam Lathrop, James Matl and Nicholas Nye

TROOP 289: Dominic Brown, Joshua Cardenas and Adrian Chapa, Carlos De La Rosa, Luis M. Garcia, Ted Gonzalez, Jeremy Juarez, Robert Monreal Jr., Marco Ochoa, Andrew Larry Resendez and Jonathan Danielle Resendez

TROOP 349: Benjamin Dietz, Anthony Jaramillo, Marco Munoz, Stephen Menchaca, Nicolas Olivares

BOY SCOUT / VENTURING POPE PIUS XII TROOP 162: Cristian Barron, Daniel Gonzalez, Matthew Matl, Kevin Murphy, Tommy Pesek, Antonio Ramirez, David Sonka and Trey Turner

TROOP 232: Shelby Fincher