Past Recipients of the Bronze Pelican Award

First presented in this Archdiocese in 1975, this is an Archdiocesan award given to men and women who have actively contributed to the spiritual formation of Catholic Youth in the Scouting movement.

The pelican has been used since the earliest days of the Church as a symbol of Christ's self-sacrificial giving of himself to his people. The pelican was often believed to pierce its own breast to provide life-giving blood to its young, just as Christ shed his own lifeblood to give His children life. Although this belief occurs because of the appearance of the pelican's pouch-like bill during the mother's feeding of the young, the pelican remains an excellent symbol of adult leaders who give of themselves to nurture youth.