Brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

Barnabas McDonald (March 20, 1865April 24, 1929), was a Brother of the Christian Schools involved with youth work, especially among delinquents and orphans in the United States. He is remembered as founder of the

Columbian Squires The Columbian Squires is an international youth fraternity run by the Knights of Columbus for Catholic boys between the ages of 10 and 18. Its stated mission is "to develop young men as leaders who understand their Catholic religion, who have a st ...

of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

and as a driving force in establishing the early relationship between the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

and the

American Catholic Church American Catholic Church and American Catholic commonly refer to: * Catholic Church in the United States, the Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, in the US American Catholic Church may also refer to: * American Catholic Chur ...

Boy Scouts of America

Brother Barnabas was a leader during the early years of Catholic Youth ministry. Together with Victor F. Ridder and with the cooperation of James E. West, he is credited with founding one of the earliest Catholic Boy Scout troops at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1912, having received formal approval of

John Murphy Farley John Murphy Farley (April 20, 1842 – September 17, 1918) was an Irish-American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of New York from 1902 until his death in 1918, and became a cardinal in 1911. Early life and educatio ...

, Cardinal Archbishop of New York. In 1924 Brother Barnabas and Victor Ridder organized a Catholic Committee on Scouting under the honorary chairmanship of Patrick Hayes, Cardinal Archbishop of New York. Bishop Joseph H. Conroy of Ogdensburg was named chairman of this Committee. Reverend Matthew J. Walsh, president of

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

was selected as national Chaplain. Brother Barnabas was selected by the Boy Scouts of America in 1925 to be the Education Director of their "Catholic Bureau" for Scout extension under Catholic leadership, replacing Fr. John F. White. who had served in that capacity since 1919. In 1927 Brother Barnabas was recognized with the

Silver Buffalo Award The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting pro ...

for his service. Brother Barnabas remained active as Director of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting until his death.

Knights of Columbus

In 1923, at the prompting of Brother Barnabas, the Knights of Columbus established a "Boy Life Bureau." Brother Barnabas was appointed the bureau's first Executive Secretary. The Boy Movement Committee of the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus had sent questionnaires to each Grand Knight and after receiving the responses met with Brother Barnabas. Though Knights of Columbus councils were involved in the Boy Scouts of America and other youth programs, it was decided to establish a youth section within the Order. Under the guidance of Brother Barnabas together with Supreme Director Daniel A. Tobin of Brooklyn, the first Columbian Squires circle was instituted on August 4, 1925. According to Brother Barnabas, "The supreme purpose of the Columbian Squires is character building." Squires have fun and share their Catholic faith, help people in need, and enjoy the company of friends in social, family, athletic, cultural, civic and spiritual activities. Through their local circle, Squires work and socialize as a group of friends, elect their own officers, and develop into Catholic leaders.

Death

He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 24, 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Barnabas 1865 births 1929 deaths Catholics from New York (state) De La Salle Brothers People from Ogdensburg, New York

Boy Scouts of America

Knights of Columbus

Death

See also

References