The Diocesan Committee for Catholic Girl Scouting and Camp Fire held a workshop for Girl Scouts on July 31 to learn about St. Joan of Arc. The event was held at St. Joan of Arc Church in Hershey, with 19 Girl Scouts from across the Diocese participating in a day of education and service.
The girls learned about the life of Joan of Arc, who was only 17 years old when she led the French Army to victory over the English and was named the Maid of France. St. Joan of Arc in Hershey is celebrating its centennial, which means the parish received its name within months of St. Joan’s canonization in 1920.
The Girl Scouts watched a video of St. Joan’s story, made crafts using symbols of her life, and took a scavenger hunt around the campus to view stained-glass, paintings and statues of St. Joan.
Because St. Joan was a soldier, the day included a service project geared toward veterans. The Scouts packed 45 shoe boxes with full-size toiletries, socks and books of stamps. All of these items are very important for the veterans’ dignity and quality of life but cannot be supplied by the VA hospital. The girls also made personal cards of encouragement, saying “You are my hero” and “Thank you for your service.” A veteran who is a member of the Scouting committee, spoke with the girls to help them understand who veterans are and why it is important to honor them. The service project was made possible through financial gifts from local businesses and Catholic ministries. The shoe boxes were donated to the Lebanon VA Hospital.
The Scouting committee’s next program will be an online National Girl Scout Emblem for second and third grade Girl Scouts called the “Family of God.” Visit the committee’s website under Ministries and Catholic Scouting at www.hbgdiocese.org for the flyer about the program starting in September. Information about the upcoming program is also listed in the Notebook section in this week’s Witness.
(Kerri Walton is a member of the Diocesan Committee for Catholic Scouting.)
By Kerri Walton, Special to The Witness
