Building strong Catholic families

A group that aims to grow strong family and Catholic values in both boys and their fathers has filled a unique niche in the Bismarck Diocese.
 
Local dads, Nate Swenson and Ryan Norrell, founded the Bismarck-Mandan Troops of St. George 777 in 2015, modeling it after the first Catholic-based troop of its kind created in Texas in 2013. Troop 777, headquartered in Mandan, is the first and only troop in North Dakota to date.
 
The Troops of St. George emulates many fundamental activities of scouting organizations around the country, but allows members to build upon their Catholic faith in the often-rugged outdoor setting or for grueling service projects.
 
Troop 777’s 58 boys range between ages 6 and 15 and can participate through age 18. Members come from as far as Fargo and Williston to join in.
 
Swenson and Norrell are both Eagle Scouts, but sought more for their boys than other scouting organizations offered. “The big difference with the Troops of St. George is our goal is to pass on faith and virtue to our boys. We use community service to build virtue,” said Swenson.
 
Activities often prove strenuous, but fun as the boys with their fathers push their limits. “They participated in lock-ins at Christ the King, cabin camping at Cross Ranch, tent camping at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and ice fishing,” said Swenson.
 
Father-son bonding
 
Father involvement is not optional. “The intent is not that the father work ahead of the boy, but that they work together,” Swenson said. They say prayers in Latin, do rope tying, swimming, fishing and hunting, he explained.
 
“The boys have a sense of mastery as they mature,” Swenson explained. “They develop strong friendships during the adventures. Getting these adventures in the outdoors helps them develop strong bonds.”
 
Among Troop 777’s service projects are moving rocks at the school playground at Christ the King parish, cleanup of the Spirit of Life church grounds and helping fundraising projects for vocations. The teamwork between fathers and sons, ends up motivating the boys to be more well-behaved and helpful. “The boys and dads get things done that we didn’t think we could get done,” Swenson said. “We take trips to Assumption Abbey in Richardton and pray with the monks overnight. The fathers go on weekend retreats and fraternize with other fathers and build spiritual growth.”
 
The Troops of St. George’s ultimate purpose is to build strong Catholic families, he explained, as well as bridging divisions between families and communities.
 
“There is a crisis in fatherhood in the country in men fulfilling their calling from God,” Swenson said. “We need to ‘man up,’ be God’s sons and live up to our calling—husbands become stronger spiritual leaders and boys become better sons.”
 
The troop manual also talks about maintaining a healthy marriage, he said. This can prove as a powerful example to boys and their future families.
 
Swenson noted that the Troops of St. George uses a patch award system as father-son teams complete various challenges and community projects.
 
Trip to Midwest Assembly
 
In August, Troop 777 attended the Midwest Assembly of Troops of St. George in Wisconsin. It allowed for further networking and new, healthy friendships for both the dads and sons.
 
Swenson said the regional conference gave participants a chance to integrate with other troops and learn from one another what works in other programs and gain fresh ideas.
 
“It exceeded my expectations. We’ve developed so many friendships from this. It’s been so good to meet other Catholic families who live the same faith we are,” said Swenson.
 
Norrell echoed the program surpassed what he expected in its early months. “It’s growing. At first, we wondered if it would just be our sons joining. People are looking for adventure… We are explicitly Catholic and striving for holiness.”
 
The boys seem to like the program based upon their eagerness to join in, according to the two troop leaders.
 
“We’ve done quite a few challenges. It’s quite satisfying to go on a challenge and finish it,” said Andrew Swenson, 11, Nate’s son. “One of the men has hiked a lot and found us some good hiking trails. …I’ve learned a lot about pushing myself. We help each other out quite a bit.”
 
Andrew said he found out how big their cause is while attending the regional conference in August. “It was interesting seeing how many other troops there are. You realize there are other troops in other states.”
 
Norrell noted that while other scouting groups encourage community service and ethics, there are a few key differences. In the Troops of St. George, sons and dads will pray together around the campfire.
 
Swenson agreed. “Saying a rosary around a campfire with other men and boys can really be an edifying experience. And, the boys learn a lot by seeing their fathers and others pray.”
 
Fewer distractions during troop activities connect fathers and sons as they master a skill, and go the distance together, said Swenson. Dads have more time to talk. Boys may open up about more sensitive issues away from busy family life.
 
He added it is equally important to cement relationships with daughters, but he said their focus is different than that of boys and he finds other ways to bond with them. Yet, his daughters are still involved in family outings like camping trips, Swenson said.
 
Involving the family
 
Central to it all, the Mass remains the focus for the entire family.
 
“We regularly attend Mass and Bishop Kagan has said Mass for us,” Swenson said. Swenson credits Fr. Nick Schneider with helping them organize the troop while he was the pastor at Christ the King in Mandan. Swenson said that parish helped launch Troop 777. The troop also garnered support from the Knights of Columbus from both Christ the King and Spirit of Life parishes in Mandan.
 
Schneider agrees that fathers’ participation plays a key element in Troop 777’s success. “This connects dads with their boys. That is so important,” he noted. “I’ve seen a lot of families involved. New friends have been made. New skills have been mastered. I think it is good having a stabilized organizational foundation for learning masculine virtues and skills,” Schneider said of the outcome.
 
While the Boy Scouts have had a long legacy of building leadership in boys, recent policy changes in that organization contrast with Catholic values.
 
Since its 2013 debut in Fort Worth, Texas, the Troops of St. George program has grown to 50 troops with 1,300 members nationwide. Organizers hope participation may someday open boys to the possible vocations of priesthood or being strong family leaders in their community and parishes.
 
For questions about the local Troops of St. George, contact Nate Swenson at nate.swenson@gmail.com or 701-319-3101.