Charleston—Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone has earned the Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America for distinguished service to youth.
It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program.
Bishop Guglielmone has been involved with Scouts since his days in the seminary and has earned numerous awards, including the St. George Emblem and Brother Barnabas Founder’s Award.
He has served in various chaplain capacities at all levels — locally, nationally and internationally — and has directed the chaplain’s training for the Philmont Scout Ranch for nearly a decade.
The bishop is the current USCCB Episcopal Liaison for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and president of Region XIV of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The first Silver Buffalo was given to Lord Baden-Powell in 1926. Since then, about 709 have been presented, including 15 to U.S. presidents.
In the entire history of the award, only two have received it from South Carolina: Bernard M. Baruch from Camden (1947) and Betty F. Pilsbury from Laurens (1986).
“This award could not have gone to a more deserving person, who has given 37 years to Scouting and the youth of the Catholic Church,” Jim Weiskircher wrote in an email to The Miscellany. Weiskircher is the chairman of the diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting.
The bishop will receive the award at the 2012 BSA National Annual Meeting in Kissimmee, Fla., in May.