GSUSA and Catholic Church Relationship

Girl Scouts of the USA is proud of its 100-year relationship with the Catholic Church and is pleased that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has on its website the following resources: Questions and Answers About Girl Scouts of the USA and About Catholic Scouting; Background on Girl Scouts of the USA and USCCB Conversations.

The following bullets will help you better understand GSUSA's relationship with the Catholic Church and gain useful information about some of Girl Scouts’ programs:

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A letter to the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (PDF) affirming GSUSA's commitment to the partnership and its 500,000 Catholic members

Two examples of collaboration agreements—Milwaukee (PDF) and Lexington (PDF)—reflecting how dioceses and Girl Scout councils continue to build on their partnerships

A description of GSUSA's My Promise, My Faith program, which invites girls of all ages to explore their faith, and information about the role that troop leaders and other adults play (PDF) in helping girls strengthen their understanding of their faith (Through this program, girls are also encouraged to earn their faith organization's emblems and recognitions.)

A roundup of the Take Action projects girls who are earning Girl Scouts’ highest awards have accomplished at Catholic churches

Information on volunteering (Note that girls in many parishes and Catholic schools would love to join Girl Scouts and are often placed on waiting lists due to a shortage of adult volunteers.)

We look forward to furthering our relationship with the Catholic Church and Catholic communities throughout the country. Should you have questions regarding any of the information on this page, please contact GSUSA.

Highest Awards

There are many kinds of Take Action projects girl members undertake to earn Girls Scouts' highest awards—the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.

Examples include the creation of a documentary to encourage environmental stewardship among teenagers, the establishment of food pantries and recycling ptograms, and other projects that benefit our local communities.

Below are two Take Action projects completed at Catholic churches, one from Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys (St. Paul, Minnesota) and the other from Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson (New Rochelle, New York). Learn more about Girl Scouts' highest awards.

Project Examples

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Gold Award project: Recycling program at the Catholic Church of St. Peter
Council: Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys
Partners: Church of St. Peter and St. Peter's Catholic School

Description: Girls obtained recycling bins for the church and school, raised awareness of recycling in the community, and taught the parishioners, staff, and students how to recycle. The girls also authored a comprehensive K–8 curriculum about being environmentally friendly, hosted a "Go Green" workshop for Northern Lights Girl Scouts, and created an informational recycling DVD.

In a girl's words: "I selected this project because I care about the environment enough to also want to inspire school children and church members to take on this mission to leave the world a physically better place. My experiences in Girl Scouting have majorly impacted how I view my world. It is a beautiful and wondrous place as long as we take care of it. Our landfills will continue to take this beautiful space away from future generations unless we do something about it today. I have always practiced leaving places better than I found them. This goes for camping and boating in our city, state, and national parks—even when utilizing a church's or school's meeting spaces."

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Silver Award project: Habitat Club at the Holy Name of Jesus Church
Council: Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson
Partners: Habitat for Humanity/Holy Name of Jesus Church/local community volunteers

Description: Two 14-year-old girls created a Habitat Club at Holy Name of Jesus Church.

In a girl's words: "We hoped to encourage parishioners to contribute their time and resources to building homes and beautifying communities in our area. The goal was to bring awareness to the homelessness problem and get our volunteers to initiate change and make a difference. We volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and on a number of occasions we helped the volunteers by supplying bagged lunches and snacks. We hosted a dinner for 65 college student volunteers visiting from the Midwest and organized a club that would include people who wanted to help make our community a better place. In the fall, workers helped with a home that is near completion, others cleared lots for new projects, and others helped construct a Santa's Workshop in an abandoned lot where children could come for hot cocoa, meet Santa, hear stories, and receive a small gift. We know that the members of the community truly benefited from our efforts."