Who are these figures of holiness chosen to patronize the clearings, the rounds and the packs, these scout groups which bring together children from 8 to 12 years old, and how are they chosen from among the great cohort of saints? Overview of these young and inspiring personalities who watch over young scouts.
At the end of June, camp departures are looming and getting ready. The camp file has been closed for a long time, the place reserved, the evenings are taking shape, in short, the little wolves in search of adventure are starting to get impatient. But who will watch over these dear little darlings during this week of outdoor camp? Leaders and chieftains of course, but they will not be unhappy to be supported by the powerful patron saints to which each clearing, round or pack is attached. Young and inspiring personalities who are not chosen at random.
We will refer to the patron saints of the “packs” (groups of 8-12 year old boys called cubs in the SUF and the Scouts of Europe), as well as to the patron saints of the “rounds” (groups of girls of 8 -12 years old called jeannettes in the SUF) and “clearings” (groups of girls aged 8-12 called louvettes in the Scouts of Europe). We also contacted the Scouts et Guides de France, but only the group (which includes young and old) is associated with a patron saint, but we have chosen to focus on the patron saints of the youngest only.
1The star: the Virgin Mary and her many words
The Virgin Mary comes at the top of the patronage of groups of young girls. Many rounds or clearings are placed under the protection of the Virgin or one of her names. There is thus a round Notre Dame in Lyon, Notre Dame la Blanche in Toulouse, Notre Dame de Lourdes in Rennes, Notre Dame de France in Paris and Puy-en-Velay, Notre Dame de la Joie in Angers, Notre Dame Du Rosaire in Le Mans, Our Lady of the Angels in Neuilly, Our Lady of the Smile in Saint Cloud, Our Lady of the Missions in Charenton-le-Pont, Our Lady of the Prayer in Düsseldorf, Our Lady of the Tard Avisé in Rambouillet and finally, a clearing Our Dame des Tables in Montpellier, a devotion dear to the city of Montpellier. Indeed, who better than the Virgin can offer both a model of humility and abandonment to the will of the Lord, while granting his powerful protection?
2the saints of Assisi, the leading duo
Some great saints are also very much in demand to watch over young scouts. The rounds and clearings are very numerous to have placed themselves under the patronage of Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Joan of Arc. As for the packs, they willingly choose great saints such as Saint Francis of Assisi and the now Saint Charles de Foucauld. (It will also be necessary to think of changing the bars!).
ALETEIA AND MR
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But they are not the only ones to inspire young people. “The scout is made to serve and save his neighbour” stipulates the third commandment of the scout law. And there is no lack of models, among the saints, to tend towards this ideal. This is no doubt the reason why saints arrive in a good position who have devoted their lives to the poorest, like Saint Louise de Marillac and Saint Jeanne Jugan, or to education like Saint John Bosco, without forgetting the combatant saints. like Saint Genevieve and Saint George.
3pauline jaricot in high demand in lyon
Some groups find inspiring figures in local saints and entrust them with a patrol, a clearing or a pack. The geographical proximity arouses real interest. It is also an opportunity to discover a saint who lived in their city or region. In Lyon, Blessed Pauline Jaricot is in great demand! She is the patron saint of an SUF group and a glade (Europe). In the same way, Saint Douceline, founder of a beguinage in Hyères (Var) in the 13th century, watches over a clearing in the city. Blessed Rosalie du Verdier de la Sorinière, nun of the Congregation of the Sisters of Calvary in Anjou and martyr during the Revolution, patronizes a clearing in Angers.
Among the Cubs, a pack from Poitiers placed itself under the patronage of Saint Jean-Théophane Vénard, born in the region and died as a martyr in Tonkin. In Rennes, it is Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, as a close neighbor, who watches over a pack. As for the wolf cubs of Saint-Omer (Pas de Calais), they have the chance to meet an unknown saint from the end of the 7th century, a Benedictine monk in the same town as them and answering to the name of Saint Erkembode.
4like claire de castelbajac, these patrons who are not saints
Patronage does not necessarily rhyme with holiness. While some are well on their way to holiness, having already been declared venerable or blessed, others inspire the youngest only by the example of their lives. Among the favorite Blesseds of the rounds/clearings and packs, are Blessed Rosalie Rendu, sister of Saint Vincent de Paul in the 19th century, and Anne-Marie Javouhey, founder of the Congregation of Saint Joseph of Cluny in the 19th century, as well as Blessed Marcel Callo, deported to Mathausen during the Second World War. Two venerable young people are particularly appreciated: the venerable Anne de Guigné, who died at the age of 11 from meningitis, and the venerable Faustino, a young Spaniard from Valence who died in 1963 at the age of 17 from Hodgkin’s disease. Both lived very ordinary lives while being exceptionally close to God.
Two young girls, “servants of God” (that is to say that a cause for beatification and canonization has been undertaken by a bishop in view of their religious fervor), meet with a certain success with the brownies and the cubs : Claire de Castelbajac watches over many rounds or clearings, especially in Toulouse, because of her childhood spent at the Château de Lauret, in the Gers. As for Anne-Gabrielle Caron, an 8-year-old girl who died of cancer and whose cause for canonization has been open since June 2019, she sponsors a clearing in the Oise. “Because scouting is a path to holiness, it seemed important and relevant to us to give the Cubs an example, a model that makes you want to progress, to improve, a model similar in age, time, activities,” the group leaders told Aleteia. “Anne-Gabrielle is first and foremost a little girl like them: a cub herself, she lived scouting to the full, having taken her promise very seriously. »
Virginie Jeannequin
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Without being in the process of canonization, male figures nevertheless inspire the Cubs. A pack from Saint-Etienne is placed under the patronage of Guy de Larigaudie, nicknamed the “Legendary Roadster”, French writer, explorer and journalist who died for France on May 11, 1940. Another pack, in Meaux, has meanwhile chosen Lieutenant Tom Morel, French officer and resistance fighter, hero of the Glières plateau.
5The editor’s favourite: Saint Loup
How not to fall for these patron saints who answer to the sweet name of Saint Loup? Patronage of choice for little wolves! And it’s not just for the pun. Many and holy bishops bore this first name, which was obviously very popular between the 5th and 7th centuries in France: they were bishops of Troyes, Soissons, Sens, Limoges and Lyon. A godsend that has not escaped the Saint Loup packs of Châlons-en-Champagne, Neauphle-le-Château (78) or Orléans!
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