The Troops of Saint George is an apostolate that follows the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church and is best described through the words of the TSG Mission Statement:
“The Troops of Saint George apostolate aims 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.”
To sum it up, camping isn’t the goal—it’s the context.
Reason #1 – Many fathers are spiritually absent.
Lay fathers have taken a backseat to religious formation of their children in today’s Catholic Church.
In His creative design, God desired for men to rise up and stand as the spiritual head of their family. The Troops of Saint George has created a platform for men to both practice and teach the faith to their sons.
Reason #2 – Boys need dads.
Boys need to be formed by their fathers and need a platform to live out their God-given masculinity.
The Troops of Saint George is not a “drop off your kid’ organization. TSG is formed by both the father and the son. Together, they work toward achievements and milestones of manhood while using the outdoors as their backdrop and Christ’s Holy Catholic Church as their guide.
Reason #3 – Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17
The Troops of Saint George is about fathers and sons sharpening their faith together in a masculine context, iron sharpening iron. Our campouts are designed to have the fathers and sons rely on other men and young men of the troop to support one another as they advance in our ranks. Whether help is needed while cutting lumber to build a chapel in the woods, or learning various survival techniques, our men always join together on the outskirts of a campfire to pray the Holy Rosary at night’s end.
Reason #4 – Families need strength.
With the attack on the family ever growing, the Troops of Saint George apostolate aims to help men and boys grow in Holy virtue enabling them to better lead their families to heaven. Our principles are guided by the magisterium, through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, therefore, tough questions have definitive answers.
Reason #5 – The Catholic Church needs priests, deacons and brothers.
The Holy Catholic Church is desperately in need of well-formed priests, deacons and brothers. Through this apostolate, our boys will be given an opportunity of discernment, and an audience with an open mind in the event the Lord is calling one of our members to the religious life.
With prayer and support from our membership and those that endorse our mission, our organization aims to fully provide, through financial scholarship, for all members that discern into the seminary.
Reason #6 – Parishes can always use a hand.
While the Troops of Saint George is not a service organization, our men and boys are expected to assist their priests and parish when called upon. Further, our boys are highly encouraged to partake in the rich treasures that are obtained through serving at the altar during the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Reason #7 – Wouldn’t you enjoy a little adventure of your own?
Whereas the priests do not have any camping/activity obligations to the Troops of Saint George, a priest can go on every single campout, celebrate Mass, hear confessions in the woods, and teach rock climbing to the boys…or do none of that. The level of commitment is defined by the priest. How better than to help in carrying out our TSG commitment to fostering vocations to the priesthood by seeing a priest outside of the confines of the parish!
To review the program in more detail and find out how to start a troop, request the information brochure on our homepage.
Saint George, Pray for us!
In Christ through Mary,
Dr. Jeremy Lustig
National Executive Director
Troops of Saint George
