His Holiness has called for a new evangelizing of the West. We seek to answer that call by forming distinctly Catholic communities of men and their sons. Scripture commands: 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5: 13-16) Robert Post and I are setting up a Pennsylvania State Committee for the Troops of Saint George with the express goal of establishing and supporting viable Troops of Saint George in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I invite you to participate in this endeavor and to share this e-mail with Catholic men that may share this interest. We seek Catholic men to help us form a state committee that will maintain a non-profit status and liability insurance for Troops of Saint George troops in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Committee of the Troops of Saint George will have an exclusively administrative and legal, but pivotal and critical, role in the Pennsylvania Troops of Saint George. The Troops of Saint George is the brainchild of Dr. Taylor Marshall, a Catholic professor. (https://facebook/DrTaylorMarshall) Dr. Marshall envisions Catholic men and their sons regularly engaging in works of charity and outdoor activities through a distinctly Catholic group called the Troops of Saint George. His vision resonates with Robert Post and me and we snatched up two of the first 100 troop numbers. (Rob Post is starting a troop in the Oreland area called Troop 32 and I am starting a Chester County troop called Troop 33.) We foresee a time in which Catholic men and their sons hike, camp, fish, and canoe together while regularly engaging one another in activities that deepen their faith, explore our religion, and forge a stronger bond between them. This isn’t merely a “Catholic scouting experience.” Whereas the Boy Scouts are committed to the boys alone, we want to help fathers and sons become and remain close by spending healthful time together doing worthy activities. Our troops will be “in the field” once a month. There will be minimal formal meetings outside of those monthly events. Of structure, we will organize the boys into patrols with a balanced range of kids so that the boys can learn leadership. Fathers will fully participate in the troop while leaving the boys to face their challenges and grow with as much independence as possible. To make this work, we need a formal, incorporated state entity to hold the legal reigns of Pennsylvanias troops. I am a lawyer and I am wary of liability issues. I attempted several liability waivers and found none to be satisfactory. In the end, nothing will do but to have insurance. Insurance is cheaper and more accessible if there are troops sharing an umbrella policy through a state committee. I have also explored non-profit statuses and the costs for incorporating each and every troop in Pennsylvania are enormous. However, we can work collectively and enjoy the benefits of a 501(c)(3) and Pennsylvania corporation status without having to bear those costs individually. I am persuaded that we should set up a state committee and I invite you to join us in this effort. We need four or five Catholic men who are willing to hold officer roles in the committee and those men should not be captains of any troops. We need families who wish to participate and captains who want to organize local troops. We need general support from accountants who are willing to audit the troop books annually and report back to the committee. We need priests and Religious who are willing to come out to the field with us – leading prayer, catechizing, engaging members, and performing the sacraments. Most of all, we need prayer. I invite you to share your thoughts and ideas and to share this e-mail with those you believe may be interested. We are looking to have a general meeting before the New Year and to begin filing for status in January. Sincerely, David Spaulding Captain – Troop 33, Chester County, PA [email protected] Robert Post Captain – Troop 32, Oreland, PA rob@posthandyman
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:13:05 +0000
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