By Renée St. Martin Wizeman

The long and proud history of the “Cathedral Troop,” Boy Scout Troop 214 in Helena, was celebrated on Sunday, Jan. 10, in the Brondel Center at St. Helena Cathedral. Considering that public speaking is frequently cited as a number one fear for many adults, the confidence displayed by the young men of Troop 214 throughout the event spoke volumes about the life skills they are acquiring.

Following the Court of Honor, during which Scouts are presented with earned badges and recognized for advancement in rank, the current and former members of Troop 214 shared memories, photographs, skits and laughter as they marked the troop’s 75th birthday.

Troop 214 has had 88 Eagle Scouts over its 75 years; organizers noted that nationally, 1 to 2 percent of Scouts attain Eagle rank.

During the celebration, Ed Jasmin, a Cathedral parishioner, shared his memories of scouting in the 1940s. Jasmin was the fifth member of Troop 114/214 to earn the rank of Eagle, which he accomplished in 1948. Eric Falley, a senior at Helena High School, joined the rank of Eagle during the Court of Honor. Falley planned and installed a new stairway at the Lewis and Clark beach access on Canyon Ferry Lake.

Earning the Eagle rank requires that Scouts complete a community service project, and Helena has benefited from many. They include repairing area hiking trails, building concrete stairs for track access at C.R. Anderson Middle School and providing firewood to needy families.

Celebration organizer Paul Faulhaber said 80 Eagle scouts were invited to the gathering at the Brondel Center. In 1935, Troop 114 began with the Cathedral of St. Helena as its sponsor. The parish remained the sponsor until 1970, when Knights of Columbus Council No. 844 took over sponsorship and Troop 114 became Troop 214 as part of a statewide restructuring.

Since its Depression-era beginnings, Troop 214 has been known as the “Cathedral Troop,” and is one of nine Montana Boy Scout troops under Catholic sponsorship. Meetings still take place in Cathedral buildings, noted Msgr. Kevin O’Neill, V.G., who welcomed the scouts and their supporters to the celebration.

Six members of the “Cathedral Troop” went on to become priests, including Fathers Neil Chisholm, Jack Garrity, Jim Hazelton and Tom O’Donnell, who is the pastor at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish in East Helena. Father Chisholm later died in a traffic accident while on a sick call near White Sulphur Springs. Father Garrity died in the Vietnam War, and Father Hazelton has pastored the diocese’s Guatemala Mission for more than 40 years.

Faulhaber said that Troop 214 is nondenominational, as are all Boy Scout troops. “We don’t know the religious faith of all the boys, but estimate that about 50 percent are Catholic,” he said. Troop 214 invites other scouts in the Helena area to earn their religious medals Ad Altare Dei and Piux XII. This year’s diocesan Scouting Recognition will take place at the Cathedral on Feb. 7, during which these and other religious medals will be presented to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who’ve earned them.

Scouts advance in rank by demonstrating certain skills, and scouting is open to boys who have completed 5th grade or are 11 years old. A boy can earn the first rank, Scout, in about a week, and thereafter demonstrates skills in first aid, knot tying, camping, cooking and compass work, among other areas. Troop outings, including camporees, also provide opportunities for advancement.

Falhaber said a young man can earn the rank of Eagle until he turns 18. There are 120 different merit badges, and to earn the Eagle rank, a young man must earn 21 of them, including 11 of a possible 15 Eagle-specific badges. Other merit badges are as diverse as business, law, photography, coin collecting and public speaking.

“You never know, one of the boy’s may discover his vocation,” Falhaber said. “And it’s also important in life to know the things you don’t want to be involved with, which they also sometimes discover.”

Scouting gives the young men a can-do attitude, Faulhaber said, enabling them to step up and volunteer in a variety of ways. Three of his four sons earned the Eagle rank. “I think scouting makes a person a better person, whether it be in their faith life or dealing with other folks,” he said.

Jasmin said that pursuing the Eagle rank is something one looks back on with great pride, and that his friends who did not achieve the rank now express regret about not pursuing it. He also said some of his closest friendships were forged during his scouting days.

Current Troop 214 Scoutmaster Doug Wheeler said he was a Webelo, but didn’t pursue scouting himself. However, as his own sons grew older and the family settled in Helena, he and wife Beth decided to involve their eldest son, Mitchel, in scouting. Younger brother Ethan has followed.

“Even though I hadn’t been a Boy Scout, I still believed in the program,” Wheeler said. “With our kids, we decided it was something we wanted to do. And as I became more familiar with the program, I grew to appreciate it more and more. The scouting mission is to build positive moral character in the boys, and this is so important, especially with how the world is. It gives them something fun to do, they become more responsible and learn to lead. It instills great values in the boys.”

Wheeler said former Scoutmaster Dennis Loveless, also a Cathedral parishioner, has helped him learn the ropes in his new position. He spends about six hours a week on his Scoutmaster duties. “I love being part of my sons’ and the other Scouts’ experiences, and watching them have fun, learn and grow,” he said.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 1, January 22, 2010.