CINCINNATI — Nearly three weeks ago, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati decided to separate from the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio.
On Thursday, several parents, troop leaders and Catholic community members came together to support one another and hopefully find solutions.
“The message that the archdiocese sent to girls through this decision was that they’re no longer welcome,” said Catholic troop leader and Girl Scout parent Jennifer Briede.
Briede is a devout Catholic herself and says the archdiocese's separation from Girl Scouts has hit her and her girls hard.
“I have a fourth grade troop. They’re kinda just like, my own daughter, ‘What did we do wrong? I don't understand,’” Briede said when we asked how her girls were handling the news.
She said she told her girls that she would fight for them, and that’s what she’s doing. She put together the meeting at Oak Hills High School so other troop leaders and parents could support one another and try to figure out what’s next.
“There might be other alternatives if we start working together, that we just don’t know yet so that’s the goal of this meeting,” said Briede.
Briede said she hopes the archdiocese will consider partnering with local Catholic Girl Scout leaders to maintain their community and relationships.
The Catholic Committee, which has been the liaison between the GSWO and the AoC, led Thursday's meeting. They said they hope to keep a line of communication open as the separation moves forward, and to continue to foster the Catholic faith of Girl Scouts once connected with the archdiocese.
“Our primary goal is to remain committed to the spiritual development of young girls while fostering reconciliation between the archdiocese and the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio,” said Amy Armstrong Smith, a Catholic Committee member and a Girl Scout troop leader.
A large portion of Thursday’s meeting was hearing from the community. Questions brought up included why the archdiocese did not think of the impact on the girls and why they did not speak with the leaders before making the decision. Many also shared that it felt like the archdiocese has no trust in troop leaders and that the move was a classic example of clericalism.
Since the decision has been announced, a petition on Change.org has been made asking the AoC to reconsider. It currently has over 780 signatures.
We were asked not to film Thursday night’s meeting as some in attendance were afraid of retaliation from either the church or community members. However, many in attendance expressed their frustrations.
Parents and troop leaders alike said they were “heartbroken” by the decision and were unsure how their community would survive the separation.
Briede told me that one of the biggest unknowns is where troops will meet and hold events come December 2025. But through their new connections, what they call the “mom network,” they have faith that they can overcome the challenges ahead.
“We’re looking to move forward while continuing to really focus on the spiritual development of the girls of our scouts,” said Armstrong Smith.
But what does moving forward look like? At the moment it is still unsure as according to the Catholic Committee, the decision if troops can continue to meet in their churches or schools is up to the priests at each parish.
But they and Briede said they will take community concerns, questions, and testimony to the archdiocese.
Briede and Armstong Smith both told us that the archdiocese was invited to the meeting but declined to come.
“The archdiocese's stance on why they wouldn’t attend tonight was really because they weren’t sure in this open forum how productive the conversation would be,” Briede said.
We reached out to the AoC to confirm that they were invited to Thursday's meeting and if they had any comments to share. At this time we have not received a response.
“One of the things I'm most concerned about is how this is making the girls feel in terms of their relationship with the Catholic church,” Briede said.
Representatives from the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio were unable to make the meeting in person, but in a video message, they pledged to provide all the resources the girls need as they continue to grow. And that they will focus on the girls and through that they will overcome this adversary.
The Catholic Committee says more meetings will be held, and that they will continue to focus on what is most important: the young women.
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