The Tablet Staff

WASHINGTON D.C. — Boy Scouts have been earning merit badges for everything from camping to cooking to citizenship for generations. Now, there is another honor scouts can achieve.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services’ Catholic Committee on Scouting has developed the Father Capodanno Activity Patch in honor of Servant of God Father Vincent Capodanno, a Staten Island native and U.S. Navy chaplain killed in the Vietnam War in 1967. 

The round patch, which bears the name and image of Father Capodanno, will be awarded to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as members of two youth service organizations — American Heritage Girls and Troops of St. George — who successfully complete a combination of activities and requirements.

The activities include conducting research into Father Capodanno’s life and writing an essay about his impact.

According to the archdiocese, the idea behind the Father Capodanno Activities Patch is threefold — to raise awareness of the role of priests serving as military chaplains, to encourage learning more about service and leadership through his life, and to promote priesthood and military chaplaincy as a vocation.

The patch has been authorized by Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services in Washington D.C. “Even though challenged by some contemporary ideologies, scouting provides programs that effectively contribute toward the implementation of a comprehensive approach to Catholic youth ministry,” he said in a statement.

For more information, visit: https://www.milarch.org/scouting/