Sam Houston Area Council B.S.A. Troop 505
Chartered to St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church
Houston, Texas

Here is a sample e-mail to send to Catholic Scouts/Venturers in SVDP- chartered units -- and their parents -- prior to starting a PPXII program:

This note is to find out who among you (or, if you're a parent, who among your sons/daughters) is interested in working on the Pope Pius XII emblem starting in August. If so, please be sure to let me know! Also, if I've inadvertently left someone off the distribution list that you think should have been included, please let me know that as well. The PPXII program is open to all high school and college age Scouts and Venturers (both male and female) who have started high school, who have not yet reached age 21, and who are Catholic. Unlike the Ad Altare Dei program (for younger Scouts), the Pope Pius XII program is mostly discussion-based; there is very little writing involved (though there are several required outside interviews and a service project). While it is not a prerequisite for Pope Pius XII to have earned the Ad Altare Dei emblem, those who have earned AAD will find it helpful. The Pope Pius XII program is Catholic Scouting's church-related ministries program. Its purpose is to have candidates examine how being a Catholic Christian affects daily life in the real world, and to give them an opportunity to share their faith and practice their religion among peers. Because it is discussion-based (and it is therefore difficult, if not outright impossible, to make up missed meetings), participation in the Pope Pius XII program will definitely require a more serious commitment on the part of candidates. Attendance at the DCCS Catholic Retreat at Camp Strake the first weekend in October is also required. Because of the sequential nature of the discussions, the group would have to make it to page 13 of the PPXII manual by the time of the Catholic Retreat, so a tentative schedule would look pretty much like the following (substitute actual dates and reconcile with calendar before sending!): retreat -6 weeks : Ch 1 (pp. 6-7) retreat -5 weeks : Ch 2 (pp. 8-9) retreat -4 weeks : no meeting; Labor Day retreat -3 weeks : Ch 2 (p. 10) retreat -2 week : Ch 3 (pp. 11-12) retreat -1 week : Ch 4 (p. 15) Sat. of retreat : Ch 3 Panel Discussion @ Catholic Retreat (p. 13) Sun. of retreat : Ch 3 Panel follow up (pp. 13-14); Ch 4 (pp. 16-17) retreat +1 week : no meeting; SVDP Fun Fest retreat +2 weeks : Ch 4 Interview follow up retreat +3 weeks : Ch 5 (pp. 19-20) and project plan retreat +4 weeks : Ch 5 Interview follow up retreat +5 weeks : Ch 6 (pp. 22-23) retreat +6 weeks : no meeting; Strake Freshman Retreat retreat +7 weeks : no meeting; Thanksgiving retreat +8 weeks : Ch 7 Reports retreat +9 weeks : (depending on group size) Ch 7 Reports (cont'd). 1st Sat. in Jan. : Archdiocesan Board of Review @ St. Mary Seminary 1st Sun. in Feb. : Archdiocesan Scout Sunday