Back in 2010, around the time of my priestly ordination, I felt the need for some direct pastoral work alongside my Scripture studies, something that would keep me directly involved with young people, and also a ministry where I work alongside others. Having discussed it with my superiors, I joined AGESCI (the Italian association of Catholic Scouts and Guides), and while my involvement has worked around my main commitments to study first and then research and teaching, I haven’t looked back since.
This last year has been a particularly rich one for me, with the climax of the year in the Summer camp in the Val Codera, a mountain valley in northern Italy (bordering with Switzerland), linked with the history of clandestine scouting (1928-1945), and particularly a group called the Aquile Randagie, at a time when Italy was in the grips of the Fascist regime, and subsequently the Nazi occupation. Due to me teaching commitments — I had to fly to the Holy Land on September 1, but that’s for another day — I only managed to stay at camp for a week. I must admit it was a thoroughly enjoyable and formative experience.
The Val Codera comes with challenges of its own, reachable only on foot or by helicopter. After spending the night at the campsite of Colico, on the Lago di Como, our first full day was the long walk, with the whole troop, and our backpacks up to our site (some 12km and an ascent of around 1000m!). Only the tents, food and troop equipment were sent up by helicopter. That is quite demanding for a young troop — 20 boys and girls, between the ages of 12 and 15, accompanied by their leaders.
Our campsite — Base Scout La Casera — is absolutely heavenly: at 1250m, by the Codera torrent, and surrounded by the mountains, away from all traffic and internet (there’s only limited mobile reception and no data!). Our milk was very fresh, coming for the cows of the Alpine hamlet … and occasionally the cows came to cross our camp. The place itself provides the chance for a full immersion in scout camp life. Over the first days we set up camp, with the patrol tents on low platforms among the trees. Then the many scouting activities and games.
One key element of the camp was the ambientazione. With our Patrol leaders council, we had chosen to use J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, which also served as the basis for our catechesis: Tolkien, as well as clandestine scouting, after all both speak of life as a battle between good and evil, where the good refuses to embrace the same tools of violence and greed, but works through those who appear weak and small. Isn’t that the same choice of the Gospel?
As chaplain to the troop, I had quite a share in providing the right input on this catechesis, this faith journey. Tolkien, and the Bible, taken side by side provided plenty of food for thought. For me, it also provides a concrete way of living our Jesuit apostolic preference of “Journeying with the Youth”. My experience is that young people have a great thirst of encounter with God, but often don’t have the right contexts, and the typical Church contexts tends not to meet them where they are, and journey with them. Scouting, in this sense, provides a wonderful context.
Since the mountain valley is so remote from any place else, it has become a tradition for the chaplains to also offer mass at the Alpine hamlet one kilometre down the track (the same where we buy our bucket of milk!). So I headed there every day during the week to celebrate for the small local community. Before I headed down from camp, we also celebrated Mass together with the scout troop and locals.
first published on 20 October 2026 on https://jesuit.org.mt/a-jesuits-pastoral-work-with-scouts/
