Pillars of Faith

Overview

Pillars of Faith provides a special recognition to those youth in Scouting who earn all the traditional Catholic Religious Awards. Very few Scouts earn the highest award in their Scouting program. Even fewer Scouts earn a Religious Award, so to earn all the traditional Catholic Religious Awards is a monumental feat. The Pillars of Faith pin recognizes these Scouts.

The name and design of the award represent the fact that Religious Awards are like pillars, supporting the Scout's development in and appreciation of the Catholic faith. The Religious Awards are the pillars, not the roof, for none of us are ever done growing in our faith. The design also includes the Church, Bible, and cross, other essential elements in faith.

Update

With the addition of girls to the BSA programs and the possibility of girls earning awards from both National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS - traditional "boys" emblems) and National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministries (NFCYM - traditional "girls" awards), we decided to change to a standard pin for both boys and girls in Scouting. The new pin still has the colored pillars but no longer has the names of the four traditional awards on each pillar. The name of the pin at the bottom changed to "Pillars of Faith".

In our diocese, we decided to allow Scouts to "mix-and-match", to earn awards from either program as long as they earn an award at each level. So in our diocese, a Scout qualifies for the Pillars of Faith pin if they earn one from each of these levels:

- Light of Christ or Family of God
- Parvuli Dei or I Live My Faith
- Ad Altare Dei or Marian Medal
- Pope Pius XII or Spirit Alive

Scouts that earn more than the required one at each level will receive only one Pillars of Faith pin.

With the pin no longer listing the names of the awards, it allows other dioceses to use other eligibility standards such as:

- require all 4 awards to be from the same program: NCCS or NFCYM (the standard with the separate Pillars pins)
- also require God Is Love and/or Missio from NFCYM
- allow a different 4 of the 6 NFCYM awards - A diocese can decide to require any 4 of the 6 or 5 of the 6 or all 6 of the NFCYM awards.

We still have a limited supply of the Pillars of Faith-Service to God pins (NFCYM girls pins) you can order while supply lasts.

Eligibility

The Scout must have earned:

- Light of Christ or Family of God
- Parvuli Dei or I Live My Faith
- Ad Altare Dei or Marian Medal
- Pope Pius XII or Spirit Alive

and be a member of any organization that uses these Religious Awards.

Other dioceses may use other criteria such as:

- require all 4 awards to be from the same program: NCCS or NFCYM
- also require God Is Love and/or Missio
- allow a different 4 of the 6 NFCYM awards

Other Dioceses

Other dioceses, outside of the Colorado Springs Diocese, can use the Pillars of Faith pin to recognize their Scouts. This is the highest recognition Scouts can receive after earning their Religious Awards. We encourage you to recognize their accomplishments. To order Pillars of Faith pins, please use the specific brochure (and order form) below.

Presentation of the Pillars of Faith Award and Pin

This award should be presented as the highest religious recognition that a Scout can achieve while in Scouting. The Pillars of Faith pin should be presented in a formal Awards Mass or appropriate formal ceremony (preferably by the Bishop, Pastor or Priest). The key is to make the presentation very special, so the youth understands the magnitude of the achievement.

Wearing the Pillars of Faith Pin

The recipient can wear the pin on the Scout uniform. Additionally, an adult who earned the pin as a youth can continue to wear the pin in and out of Scouting. The Pillars of Faith pin can become a pin that the recipient wears proudly at both Scouting and other events.

Cost and Ordering

Pins are $6.00 each, which includes postage and handling. Orders of only one pin have a $2.00 surcharge.

We can accept only cash, checks, or money orders, made payable to Catholic Committee on Scouting. We must receive payment before sending the order.

Please allow at least two weeks from when the order is mailed to when the pins are needed. We can provide expedited delivery if the person placing the order pays the delivery cost.

See the brochure for ordering information.

For more information regarding the Pillars of Faith award and pin, please contact:

Curtis J. O'Connell
719-590-1104 (home)