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The Troops of St. George are a Roman
Catholic Church alternative to the BSA.
2018: They became a Catholic apostolate:

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The Troops of St. George (TSG) is:

"... a fraternal Catholic nonprofit apostolate for priests, men, and young men looking for a life of adventure coupled with virtue." ₁

Their head office is located in Keller, TX.

Catholic author and professor Dr. Taylor Marshall founded the TSG durIng 2013.

Their Mission Statement is:

"... to use the outdoors as our canvas and the sacraments as our path to light the way for the formation of Holy Catholic men and boys. Whether called to the vocation of the priesthood, the religious life, or that of Holy fatherhood, our fathers and sons will take a prayerful pilgrimage together to fulfill Christ’s desire for them to grow in virtue and in their Holy Catholic faith as they journey toward heaven."

Members are restricted to male Catholics in good standing.

As implied by their Mission Statement, they discriminate against non-Catholics, girls, and their mothers. They admit boys aged 6 to 18. Junior Cadets are from or Grades 1 to 5. Senior Cadets are are from Grades 6 to 12 and are divided into patrols of mixed age, and are named after a Catholic blessed or saint.

According to their web site's "About" page. the troops:

• "Experience reverent and beautiful Masses on mountaintop vistas;
• Pray the Rosary with other men around fire pits in the freezing cold;
• Catch a Fish Friday meal by fly fishing for trout;
• Go to confession with our priests while kneeling on moss in the woods;
• Teach our sons archery, rockclimbing, marksmanship, fishing, survival skills…and Catholic virtues;
• Foster a love for the priesthood and a reverence for the sacrament of Matrimony;
• Support our local parish, our priests, our bishops, and community by being available for works of mercy and service."

The reverence for matrimony is restricted to the marriages of opposite-sex couples only because of the Catholic Church's current rejection of gay marriages.

Members are required to read the book of Proverbs in the Bible, which contains many instructions on how to become wide and virtuous. ₁

2018-MAY-16: The TSG became a Catholic Apostolate:

Most Rev. Michael F. Olson, bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth, TX, officially endorsed the Troops of St. George as a Catholic apostolate.

He wrote:

"After a careful review of the program and its contents, including its mission statement, curriculum, pedagogical structure, letters of Ecclesiastical approval, and statement of mission that faithfully reflects and adheres to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, the Troops of Saint George is hereby approved as a Catholic Apostolate of the Diocese of Fort Worth. ₂

Brian Squibbs, the TSG National Director of Communications and Recruitment, said the TSG is needed in our day now more than ever:

"With the growing amount of gender confusion in our world today, the Troops of St. George offers Catholic boys and their dads a deep, fully Catholic experience in the outdoors with sacraments, adventure, and authentic masculinity." ₂

The reference to "gender confusion" may refer to:

• The growing awareness of transgender persons: individuals who were identified at birth as one gender, and who identify themselves later in life as being of the opposite gender, or no gender, or of both genders. and/or to.
  
  
• The decision of the Boy Scouts of America during 2017 to admit young girls into previously all-male cub scouts, and to admit girls and female youths into the BSA generally during 2019-FEB.

We have emailed the TSG asking to clarify this reference.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "About the Troops of Saint George," Troops of Saint George, undated, at: https://troopsofsaintgeorge.org/
2. Patrick Novecosky, "Troops of St. George approved as official Catholic apostolate," Troops of Saint George, 2018-MAY-17, at: https://troopsofsaintgeorge.org/

How you may have arrived here:

Original posting: 2018-MAY-21
Author: B.A. Robinson