Lanternfire Press

"Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous, to serve You as You deserve..."  (from The Scout Prayer, 1926)

(1882-1951) Father Sevin (left in photo) was one of the founders of Catholic Scouting, in France, where he worked with Canon Antoine-Louis Cornette (center of photo) and Mr. Édouard de Macedo (right of photo).

Father Sevin's labors to prove that Scouting could be - should be - needs to be - fundamentally a Catholic activity led him to establish a version of the program that is inherently Catholic.

His writings and leadership proved irreplaceable and only now are being made available in English.

Books available or in the production stage:

• Le Scoutisme, translated from the French 2nd edition (1924)

• Writings from The Chief, translated from the early years of Le Chef magazine (1922+)

• To Become a Scout of France: the Aspirant's Exam, translated from the French (1925)

"This environment [of Cub Scouts] being appropriate to the child, it will help what is best in him to grow stronger, it will help him little by little to rise above his basic instincts, up to the superior acts of reason, capable of preferring good to evil, preferring God to the world, or to himself."  (from Jungle Wisdom, 1925)

(1893-1989) A convert to Catholicism in 1916, from 1912 to 1931 Miss Barclay helped found what became known as "Cubs" in Britain - "Little Wolves" in France - "Timber-Wolves" in the USA and Canada.

Working personally with Baden-Powell and Fr. Sevin, Miss Barclay was for many in Scouting a leading light, until her retirement due to poor health. After this, she was quickly forgotten. It is time for us to remember, be thankful for, and benefit from her contributions.

Books available or in the production stage:

• Scouting for Catholics, from the 1927 book "Good Scouting: Notes on Scouting in the Catholic Parish" (1927)

• Cubbing: how to run a pack, from the third edition (1925)

• Character Formation in the Wolf Cub Pack, translated from the  French edition made by Fr. Sevin (1927)

• Jungle Wisdom (1925)

"Christ is victorious!"  (from Pilgrimage Notes, 1942)

(1880-1961) While a WWI chaplain, Father Doncœur wanted to find a way to make the soldiers' courage, dedication, and strength serve to build peace and promote a recovery of Catholic society. Awarded to the Légion d'honneur in 1921 for heroic bravery under fire, in 1924 he would oppose the French government's attempts to expel Catholic religious from the country; he served as a Scout chaplain from 1924 until WWII.

However, he was marginalized and discredited by the Jesuits and the public as a consequence of his erroneous political alliance with the "Vichy Regime". His writings about Scouting remained vital to the development of the program for young men of age 17-24, the Routiers, the "Wayfarers", and cannot be ignored.

Books available or in the production stage:

• Wayfarers (Routiers), the second Road Notebook (1925)

• Pilgrims of Assisi and Rome, the third Road Notebook (1927)

• The Journey of Joan of Arc, the fourth Road Notebook (1929) [publication in 2025]

Books available or in the production stage:

Books available or in the production stage:

Books available or in the production stage:

Books available or in the production stage:

Books available or in the production stage:

Books available or in the production stage: