Catholic Boy Scout Troop 12 has a long history in the Eugene/Springfield area dating all the way back to September 1949. In the mid-90’s, lack of adult leadership caused the scouting program to cease operations.
Fast-forward to today. After a 25 year hiatus, Troop 12 is back, chartered by St. Alice Catholic Church. Members of BSA’s Oregon Trail Council presided over the charter ceremony at St.
Alice on October 11, 2020.
“Boys crave action and adventure. I can’t think of a more fun way to lead boys to Jesus Christ than through Scouting,” said Scoutmaster Greg Long.
Troop 12 is a youth-led, high adventure troop that focuses on building leadership skills while supporting Catholic faith-formation. All meetings, in-person and virtual, as well as outdoor outings, start and conclude with the sign of the Cross and a prayer. Weekend camping trips also include the opportunity to attend Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass—with occasional visits from priests for an intimate outdoor Mass .
Father Mark Bentz, who earned the Arrow of Light, which is the highest BSA Cub Scout rank, said he’s excited to reconnect with his Scouting roots and looks forward to seeing the impact of Troop 12 at St. Alice.
“It’s really great to have something for the young men of our parish. We see in church life that if the men are involved, if the fathers are involved the parish, then the parish has a real dynamic vibe.”
Troop 12 started with five scouts and now is up to 18 with 7 faith-filled adult leaders. Its resurgence allows young scouts from Catholic Cub Scout Pack 12 at O’Hara Catholic School to seamlessly continue their scouting journey, guided by Church teachings and traditions.
