Religious Emblems of Scouting America
Scouting America offers four Religious Emblem programs: two for Cub Scouts, one for Scouting America, and one for both Scouting America and Venturing Crew members. Scouts are encouraged to earn all four emblems as part of their Scouting and faith journeys.
Ad Altare Dei
Translated as ‘to the altar of God’, this emblem focuses on the sacraments and the presence of God in daily life.
Light of Christ
For younger scouts, this emblem encourages them to learn more about their Catholic faith and how to live out its principles in their daily lives.
Parvuli parDei
For Cub Scouts, this emblem focuses on understanding the Christian way of life and how to live it out through service and prayer.
Pope pius XII
The highest emblem for Scouting America, this is a comprehensive program that teaches important lessons about faith, morality, and leadership.
Light of Christ
The ‘Light of Christ’ program is designed for Cub Scouts between the ages of 6-7 years old (Tiger or Wolf) of the Catholic Faith.
The purpose of this program is to help the Cub Scout develop a personal relationship with Jesus. With the parents’ active assistance and participation in this program, it is hoped that the Cub will come to see Jesus as a real person and his friend.
Parvuli Dei
The ‘Parvuli Dei’ program, for Catholic Cub Scouts aged 8-10, helps boys discover God’s presence in daily life and build a positive self-image through various activities. It focuses on integrating their faith with family and community contributions, with four main objectives guiding the program.
Ad Altare Dei
The ‘Ad Altare Dei’ program is for Catholic boy scouts aged 13-14, though older Scouts can also participate. Scouts must be registered, active in their troop for six months, and have completed the sixth grade before starting the program.
This program covers eight sections aligned with the seven Sacraments—Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. It includes group discussions on service-based activities and projects to deepen Scouts’ understanding of their religion.
The most important aspect of the program is that the Scout grows in his spiritual experience of his relationship to God and the church.
To meet the program’s purpose, Scouts should work in groups with a certified Religious Emblems Counselor. A Board of Review is required.
Pope Pius XII
The ‘Pope Pius XII’ is a vocations-based program for Catholic Venturing Crew Members and Scouting America. It includes five major units, each with a spiritual reading, discussion, and activities to reinforce learning.
The three main objectives of the ‘Pop Pius XII’ program include: