What: Soaring Eagle Award Dinner
When: Thursday, February 6, 2025, 5 p.m.
Where: College of Central Florida, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto

BACKGROUND

The Withlacoochee District of Scouting America presents the annual Soaring Eagle Award to local leaders for their unwavering support of the community, especially youth. In addition to Bishop Gregory Parkes, Justice John Couriel of Florida’s Supreme Court, will be honored with the Soaring Eagle Award this year.

Here are some ways that Bishop Parkes and the Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg support the youth of our community.

• Bishop Parkes has prioritized Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg since he launched Courageously Living the Gospel in 2018.
• Bishop Parkes has expanded staffing of the Diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office and supported numerous formation events geared toward young people across the Diocese, such as Roar of the Rosary, Eucharistic Encounter, Youth Rallies, and the Known Conference.
• Bishop Parkes has instituted a revitalization process for Good Counsel Camp, in Floral City in anticipation of the 80^th anniversary of the establishment of the Camp. This effort will bring new energy to the Camp’s programming and facilities for the benefit of young people.
• Bishop Parkes appointed Father Xavy Castro as Chaplain to serve the scouts’ spiritual needs
• Local churches sponsor scouting troops and provide space for troops to gather.
• Saint Leo University has hosted “University of Scouting,” a training program for youth and adults to help enrich district programs.
• The Diocese of Saint Petersburg has hosted Catholic Scouting Retreats to help scouts be reverent, one of the core values of scouting.
• There are 46 Catholic Schools and Early Childhood Centers in the Diocese of Saint Petersburg that provide a faith-filled and academically rigorous environment where students grow spiritually, academically, and socially. Catholic schools welcome students of all faiths and provide an education to more than 13,000 students in the counties of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus.

Photo Caption: A scout learns how to be reverent at a Diocesan Scouting Retreat in 2022.