Catholic fathers and sons bond, experience God in outdoors

Fathers and sons are learning to bond in their Catholic faith and virtues while enjoying the great outdoors in a new fraternal nonprofit called the Troops of Saint George 2540.

The first group in the U.S. was founded in 2013 in Keller, Texas, in the Diocese of Fort Worth, and the first Louisiana troop was established last year in Covington.

Through achievement courses – guided by example of a patron saint – boys ages 6 to 17 and men bond “to build and sharpen each other right in front of the youths’ eyes as we grow in our faith walk and in our love for Jesus,” said Brian Squibbs, national director of communications/recruitment.

Array of skill-building
The coursework includes activities such as camping, altar service, handiwork, apologetics, Latin, hunting, orienteering (learning to explore using maps and compasses), financial stewardship and more.

“The Troops of Saint George were looking to serve as an apostolate of the Catholic Church through serving Christ in building up virtuous men and boys in his image of masculinity and allowing for a safe space to discern their call,” Squibbs said.

The organization’s founders, including Dr. Taylor Marshall, were looking for something authentically Catholic for fathers and sons to do, Squibbs said.

The goal of the Troops of Saint George is to “build up men who will follow our Lord’s will and forge ahead with love and mercy and not fall prey to our own will or that of this world, which pressures us to change and conform rather than help those around us see the fullness and truth of the Gospel,” Squibbs said. “The reimagining is where the father/male guardian/son concept quickly evolved through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

Growing organization
Approximately 100 troops have sprouted in the United States and Vancouver.

Each troop is divided into junior cadets (boys in grades 1-5 who are divided into patrols named for St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. John and St. George patrols) and senior cadets (grades 6-12) who, with their fathers/male guardians, complete requirements to advance to different levels and earn badges.

Cadets earn a silver star if activities are completed by themselves and a gold star if the achievement is done with their father or guardian. Each activity delves into components of spiritual, physical, patriotic, family and manly skills and concepts that teach the dignity of the human person.

The highest level of the Troops of Saint George is to be a Tribune of Saint George by completing 16 achievement courses, a tribunal project and survival ordeal.

“Troops regularly experience reverent and beautiful Masses on mountaintop vistas,” Squibbs said. Other moving experiences are fly-fishing for trout, going to confession in the woods, archery, rock climbing, marksmanship, fishing and survival skills.

“There is something special looking around and seeing 40-plus men and boys kneeling in the dirt around a campfire praying the rosary following a story on a great example of the saints,” Squibbs said. “We foster a love for the priesthood and a reverence for the sacrament of matrimony. And we support our local parishes, our priests, our bishops and community by being available for works of mercy and service.”

The local Troop 2540 has grown in a year to 33 cadets ranging in age from 6-15. Members are from different Catholic parishes, said local leader Blake Naquin.

“It’s a father-son interactive,” Naquin said, explaining that outdoor skills are taught based on the Catholic faith. “Over the past year, we have had fun events, outdoor skills events and campouts,” including a fishing tournament on the Bogue Chitto River.

In 2022, Troop 2540 is planning 15 events, including paintball, a campout to the USS Kidd, a family beach trip, a picnic, field trip to the National Shrine of  Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and more.

“This results in fathers and sons growing together in faith and bonding,” Naquin said. “It’s definitely not a drop-off organization; we encourage parents to be there.”

Senior cadets serve as role models for younger cadets by demonstrating how male teens can hold on to their faith among their peers.

“I think it teaches the boys that we can be strong, Catholic men,” Naquin said. “The Catholic faith goes against the secular culture to give the objective truth when the culture goes in a different direction. We teach the boys that it can be tough. We teach them that men can learn and strengthen our faith. Our Lord fasted 40 days in the desert. He prayed all night, walked distances to heal. … This is a calling to stand up to be strong Catholic men in a culture that doesn’t want to be what we stand for – what’s been given to us by our Lord.”

For details on the Troops of Saint George, visit https://troopsofsaintgeorge.org or email [email protected].

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