Overview 
The three Scout (2 for Roman Catholic Rite and 1 available to Eastern Catholics) emblems are conducted by a certified counselor or facilitator in small groups of scouts (3-10). It takes 6-8 months to complete each program except the Eastern Catholic Light is Life program, which can take one year. Scout emblems groups usually start after a Labor Day to be completed by the Board of Review date in early March and presentation at the annual awards ceremony. For names of counselors in your area please contact the Religious Emblems Chair Bonnie Johnson angel_lady46@yahoo.com. Please include your city and parish in your message. In addition to the medal, scouts earning any of these emblems are entitled to wear the youth religious knot with program device on their uniform.
Roman Catholics
Ad Altare Dei (To The Altar of God)
Eligibility
To be eligible to work on this program a scout must first have a completed approval form signed by the applicant, parents, counselor, scoutmaster, and pastor. This form is found in the front of the Ad Altare Dei Scout Manual. He must be a registered scout of the Roman Catholic faith. The content is designed for 13 and 14 year olds but older Boy Scouts may work on the program. Parents and counselors must consider the maturity level of the scout and prayerfully reflect on whether he is ready for this program. He must be an active member of his troop for six months and completed the sixth grade before starting the program. Completion of any other Religious Emblem is not required. Young women in Venture Crews may earn this award.
Purpose
The purpose of the Ad Altare Dei (AAD) program us to help Catholic Boy Scouts of the Roman Rite develop a fully Christian way of life in the faith community. The program is organized in chapters based on the Sacraments.
Requirements
The requirements are found on the Ad Altare Dei Scout Manual. It can be purchased at local Scout Shops, or online at https://www.scoutshop.org/
This program is not intended to substitute for formal religious education.
Caution: it is necessary that a scout attend virtually all meetings and events associated with this program to avoid falling behind his group and needing extensive make up time to complete requirements. There are several individual requirements in this program. Parents are encouraged to review the progress of their son periodically. The counselor will set meeting dates that are convenient for the group. The scout is expected to give priority to those dates. Counselors will deal with this issue on a case by case basis. For name of counselors in you area please contact the Religious Emblems Chair Bonnie Johnson angel_lady46@yahoo.com . Please include your city and parish in your message.
Program Completion
The program is completed when all the requirements in the AAD Scout Manual have been completed, signed off and the scout successfully completes his Board of Review before his 18th birthday. See the section on Boards of Review for more information. This emblem is presented at the Annual awards Ceremony.
Pope Pius XII
Eligibility
To be eligible to work on this program a scout must first have a completed approval form signed by the applicant, parents, counselor, scout leader, and pastor. This form is found in the front of the Pope Pius XII Participant Manual. He/She must be a registered youth member of the BSA, a member of the Catholic faith and must have started the 9th grade. Scouts BSA must complete the requirements and board of review by age 18. Registered Venturers, have until age 21. Completion of any other Religious Emblem is not required.
Purpose
Pope Pius XII (PP12) is Catholic Scouting’s church-related ministries and vocation program. The program deals with different life choices (single, married, religious or ordained), occupations and ministries in the church. It includes youth led discussions on issues facing the church and society.
Requirements
The requirements are found in the Pope Pius XII Participant Manual. It can only be purchased from NCCS online here: https://www.nccs-bsa.org/store/product/download-pope-pius-participant-manual-2017-edition/
The program is not intended to substitute for formal religious education.
Caution: it is necessary that a scout attend virtually all meetings and events associated with this program to avoid falling behind his group and needing extensive make up time to complete requirements. There are several individual requirements in this program. Parents are encouraged to review the progress of their son periodically. The counselor will set meeting dates that are convenient for the group. The scout is expected to give priority to those dates. Counselors will deal with this issue on a case by case basis. For name of counselors in you area please contact he Emblems Chair. Please include your city and parish in your message.
Program Completion
The program is completed when all the requirements in the PP12 Participant Manual have been completed, the manual is signed off and the scout successfully completes his/her Board of Review. See the section on Boards of Review for more information. This emblem is presented at the Annual Awards Ceremony.
Eastern Catholics
Light is Life
Some Boy Scouts active in scouting within the Ft. Worth Diocesan are also Eastern Catholics. The Eastern Catholic equivalent to the “Ad Altare Dei” is the “Light is Life” emblem.
You cannot complete both emblems. Please contact Religious Emblems Chair Bonnie Johnson angel_lady46@yahoo.com if you have questions or are interested in working towards this emblem.