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National Catholic Scout Fellowship ‘...actively supporting Catholics in Scouting Ad Multos Annos… … your Majesty The Link. National Catholic Scout Fellowship Page Summer 2012—Number 206 Officer Details… Page 3 Resources… Page 3 Bishop Richard’s Thoughts… Pages 4 to 6 Chairman’s Thoughts… Pages 7 & 8 Notice Board… Page 9 Diary… Page 10 Book Information… Page 10 NCSF Application form… Pages 11 & 12 Resources Order Form… Pages 13 & 14 2012 National Camp Picture Gallery… Pages 15 & 16 Paryer for the Queen’s Jubilee Page 16 News from Birmingham… Pages 17 & 18 From the National Chaplain… Pages 19 to 21 Mission Impossible… Page 21 ICCS Badge… Page 22 CISG Contacts… Page 23 Centenary Prayer...Page 24 Exec Meetings - Next executive meeting English Martyrs Rowley Regis - 14 July 2012 at 11 a.m. AGM 13th October—see page 10 Next CIGS (Christians in Guiding and Scouting) meeting TBC The views and opinions expressed in articles in this publication are solely those of the authors and not the Scout Association. They are intended for the consideration of the readership and in particular the members of the NCSF. Page 2 Summer 2012 Issue Chairman Secretary Margaret M H McDowall Patsy Warren 4 Copperhouse Road, 12 Cleves Crescent Strood Cheslyn Hay Rochester Staffordshire ME2 2TQ WS6 7LR 01634 307335 01922-413489 [email protected] Treasurer National RC Chaplain Patrick Warren Fr. John Seddon 12 Cleves Crescent 165 Liverpool Road Cheslyn Hay Crosby Staffordshire Liverpool WS6 7LR L23 0QN 01922-413489 0151 949 1782 [email protected] [email protected] Articles for inclusion in The Link may be sent to the Editor at the email address given below. The name and scouting appointment of the contributor should be given. [email protected] A selection of resource material is available from the NCSF Badge Secretary to ease the work of Catholics in Scouting. They can be obtained from the following address. These are available from: Ann Ingleby Ki-Ro Items Want to see what you are 14 Rangers Walk going to get? Etching Hill 38mm badges 53p Rugeley 50mm badges 65p A catalogue of all the items Staffs Woggles £1.25 available is viewable online WS15 2NA CSAC Pin Badge £1 and downloadable from the website. This should make it Tel: 01889 585345 easier for you to order items. ICCS Centenary badges See pages 13 and 14 for price £1.50 our new order form! The Link. National Catholic Scout Fellowship Page 3 From Bishop Richard... Sermon for National Scout Service St. George’s Chapel, Windsor 29 th April 2012 This is a special day for everyone here in this chapel, it is a wonderful gathering, a real celebration of Scouting and the very significant relationship that exists between the members of the Scout Movement and Her Majesty – celebrated in a special way in this, Her Majesty’s Jubilee Year. May I take this opportunity to congratulate all those who are St. George’s Day Award recipients – it is to you and to your fellow scouts that I now speak. We have seen some arrows in this amazing chapel. Arrows speak to us of journey – it might be the arrow speeding through the air on its way to the target, the arrow that we see on the road signs alongside our roads. Some of us may even remember the “Golden Arrow” train, rushing along the track to its destination. Arrows point the way – and we are all on a journey. We have all travelled to be here today. We spend our lives going from one place to another, seemingly in an ever-increasing rush under the pressures of life. When I travel on trains or walk through the streets of London, I see so many people rushing about and I often wonder “Where are they going?” When I ask myself that question, I do not think of where they are going at that moment – but where are they going in the long term. Where to do travel on life’s journey? What indications, what arrows, do we follow on that path? The Bible contains many accounts of people on journeys – Abraham journeying to the promised land, Moses and the people of Israel leaving Egypt, The Jewish people at the time of the exile leaving their beloved homeland – and then returning again many years later. In the Page 4 Summer 2012 Issue New Testament, we find Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem. We find Jesus walking around the country teaching and healing. Then we find him travelling to Jerusalem where he will die and rise from the dead. Later, in the Bishop Moth preaches at Mass on Pentecost Sunday The shepherd and his flock enjoying to best of weather Acts of the Apostles, everything is about journeys again – this time the journeys taken by the Apostles as they bring the Gospel message to the world. Everyone is on the move. It is the same for us – and the arrows of today’s service are all about that journey. We reflect on the way that has brought us to today. Not just to this chapel, but to this point in our lives. We think of family and friends, those who have influenced us in life – perhaps teachers and the people we respect, the difficult experiences that have formed us too, and – of course – our lives as Scouts, the special experiences we have enjoyed as members of this very special organisation, the things we have learned, the skills we have acquired. We bring all these things with us on the journey. We begin our journey with a rucksack that has little in it – but as we travel along, all these experiences and encounters with people begin to fill the rucksack. Sometimes we have to find a bigger one to get everything in! Once in a while, it is good to stop and reflect for a bit. We step off the road and check map and compass. We remember where we have The Link. National Catholic Scout Fellowship Page 5 been and we look for the path ahead. We take our bearings. We look for new signs and we continue on the journey. Sometimes, the path we are called to take will be something of a surprise, the arrows giving us direction may point to unexpected places. All this is part of life’s journey and the experience we have, the things we learn, the skills we acquire – more importantly, the people we meet – form us to become the people we are meant to be. This chapel, in which we have stepped aside from the journey for a few moments, reminds us that our journey of life is also a pilgrimage – a sacred journey. Each one of us is called by God to do something that only we can do. This will be our particular contribution to the world in which we live – and those of you who have given so much of your lives to Scouting are giving something very significant to society. For others in this chapel today, the discovery is at an earlier stage – but that discovery of who we really are and what it is that we are called to do in life is ultimately the discovery of what God wills for us and when we make that discovery – when we follow the arrows along that path – we come to know who we really are and we find real fulfilment in our lives. For us, as Scouts that fulfilment surely lies in Service – Service as expressed in the Scout Promise, that we shall renew today - duty to God and the Queen and in helping others. This is a wonderful direction to take, a sure arrow on our journey of life. My prayer for each one here today is that together we may continue on that path of service, finding meaning and fulfilment on the journey of life together, a life lived with real direction in the service of others, that we become the people God calls us to be. It is following these arrows that will bring us truly to life. Page 6 Summer 2012 Issue The Chairman’s thoughts... What a wonderful few months we have had. Our Jubilee Camp was a wonderful success, with children who had never camped before having a wonderful experience. The Salesians were wonderful in organising morning prayers. One of the highlights was a Morning Prayer actually taking place in the stream that ran through the grounds. I hasten to add that a full risk assessment had taken place and the activity was well planned and had sufficient leaders to make sure there were no accidents. As the children ‘paddled’ in the stream the look on the faces of some of the leaders was a sight to behold as the young people waded onto the bank with trousers wet up to their calves. The mantra I used when taking my group camping was ‘legs dry faster than trousers’ so we always wore shorts on camp. To add to the wonderful weekend the sun shone the whole time, which is always a bonus when camping. You will be able to see from our pictures the good weather and time we had. I would like to thank Bishop Richard, Fr John and the members of the NCSF executive who all helped over the weekend, but the biggest thank you must go to the Salesians for giving us the use of their grounds. I bet you are all wondering why we did not have rain like the others at the Jubilee Weekend the answer is that we had it the week before the actual Jubilee.