St. Olaf young woman first in Utah to receive Catholic Scouting award that encourages a Christian life
BOUNTIFUL — Being the first to achieve a goal has never been important to Eleanor Bouley. Instead, it’s the completion of that goal that matters to her. Nevertheless, Bouley, 19, recently became the first young woman in Utah to earn the Ad Altare Dei award from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.
Bouley, a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, had a full career in Girl Scouts from kindergarten to 12th grade.
“With Girl Scouts, what I loved the most was the opportunity for service,” she said. “There’s not always a lot of opportunities for kids to get involved in service.”
While achieving her Girl Scout bronze and silver awards, Bouley was able to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and The Road Home, in addition to organizing toys and book drives.
However, once she turned 18, there was no program in Girl Scouts for her without becoming a leader, so last year she became a Boy Scouts of America Venture Scout in St. Olaf Parish’s Crew 9220, which serves boys and girls ages 14 to 21.
Shortly after, her father Joe Bouley, the Salt Lake Diocese religious emblems coordinator, alerted her to the Ad Altare Dei award.
The Ad Altare Dei program is focused on a study of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony) and the Bible. Rather than an academic exercise, the experience is intended to help course participants deepen their spiritual understanding of the sacraments, Joe Bouley said.
Eleanor Bouley and her brother David decided to pursue it.
“Religion has always been pretty important to me,” she said. “It’s important for God to be present in all aspects of your life. The fact that there are religious options in Scouting that you can get involved in to increase your spiritual growth and reach greater spiritual understanding is awesome.”
She enjoyed the Ad Altare Dei program, she said.
“It was great to have the discussion aspect of it, especially with all of us in the room together. You could ask the teacher whatever questions you had, which sometimes led to you having new conversations you hadn’t had before and really thinking deeply about the sacraments.”
At UC Berkeley, Bouley is working on her general class requirements and exploring options for her major. She is interested in literature and may pursue both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in comparative English literature, or she may go to law school, she added.
Bouley, a St. Olaf parishioner, serves as a lector when she is home from college. At school she is a member of Klesis, a campus ministry that meets weekly to study the Bible and to build friendships among participants. She attends services at Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish.
Bouley would encourage other girls to pursue the Ad Altare Dei emblem.
“A lot of girls don’t know this opportunity is available to them, but it’s a good way to learn more about yourself and the significance of the sacraments in your own life and to make them more personal,” she said. “It’s a good experience for spiritual growth and self-discovery.”
She didn’t realize until after she completed the Ad Altare Dei course that she was the first female in Utah to do so, she said.
“I would love to see more girls getting the religious emblems,” she said, adding that at this year’s Scout Saturday ceremony, which was Feb. 3 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, there were many more girls than she has seen in previous years.
During the annual Scout Saturday, Scouts receive the religious emblems they have earned over the previous year. Bouley received the Ad Altare Dei award from Bishop Oscar A. Solis and Father Kenneth Vialpando, pastor of St. Marguerite Parish, during the ceremony.
The award is a cross of bronze suspended under a bar with the name of the award and a ribbon of the papal colors: yellow, white, red and blue.
Bouley flew into Salt Lake City for the event.
“I just think it was a very positive experience,” she said of the Ad Altare Dei course. “I would encourage all scouts to do it if they can.”
“It’s really exciting to see young women have the opportunity to grow in their faith through Scouting,” Salt Lake Diocese Catholic Committee on Scouting Chair Nancy Reading said. “Eleanor was an exemplary participant in the course.”
Along with Eleanor Bouley and David Bouley, six other scouts received the Ad Altare Dei emblem:
Keegan Benfield, St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Salt Lake City
Daniel Flores, St. Olaf Catholic Church, Bountiful
Christopher Lockhart, St. James the Just Catholic Church, Ogden
Ronald Magalong, Christ Prince of Peace, Hill AFB, Layton
Daniel Mulder, St. Olaf Catholic Church, Bountiful
Tyler Poole, Christ Prince of Peace, Hill AFB, Layton
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