National Scout Corps 1Foundation and early leadership
National Scout Corps
Original title: Escutas (Corpo Nacional de)
History of the Catholic scout movement (Corpo Nacional de Escutas) in Madeira, from its national foundation in Braga in 1923 and its Madeiran foundation in 1928, to its groups, camps and leadership up to 1940.
1Foundation and early leadership
Founded in Braga in 1923 by the late lamented Archbishop Primate Dom Manuel Vieira de Matos, the National Scout Corps (Corpo Nacional de Escutas) grew rapidly and spread across the country. It met with great devotion from Catholics, who very rightly saw in a scout movement organised on Christian and Catholic foundations an ideal training school for Portuguese youth, which until then had been almost entirely neglected by the ruling classes.
The idea of founding a Region of the C. N. E. on our island arose in 1926. After a long period of training and preparation, the C. N. E. was founded in Madeira with members of the former Catholic Youth of Funchal, who made their solemn vow on 8 December 1928 in the Colégio church (Igreja do Colégio). The governing body, the Regional Board (Junta Regional), was constituted as follows:
- Regional Commissioner: Captain Eduardo dos Santos Pereira
- Director: Father Jorge de Faria e Castro
- Secretary: António Henriques de Araújo, engineer
- Medical Officer: Dr José da Cunha Tavares da Silva
- Head of the Instructors’ School: José Vieira da Luz Júnior.
The first group to be founded was No. 5 (Infante Dom Henrique), whose leader was António J. de Caires.
Since then the scout movement has grown, with new units founded in Santa Maria Maior (Group 88, Santiago), São Roque (Group 55, São Roque), São Gonçalo (Group 76, São Gonçalo), Caniço (Andorinha and Oliveira Salazar Patrols) and Porto Santo (Nun’Álvares Patrol); in the city centre there are Group 5 (Baden Powel) and Group 72 (Afonso de Albuquerque).
2Activities and present state
Since then the C. N. E. has carried out a variety of collective activities, above all camps, whose organisation has been regarded as truly exemplary.
Nor has it neglected religious practice: it regularly gives its members instruction in religion and has already organised several spiritual retreats.
The C. N. E. in Madeira has taken part in major national and foreign camps, always sending hand-picked delegations. The national camps were those of Cacia (1928), Braga (1932) and Lisbon (1934), and the international ones (known as jamborees) were held in England (1929), Hungary (1933) and Holland (1937), together with the rover moot in Switzerland (1932).
In Madeira, too, the C. N. E. held the 1st Regional Camp in 1938, and in 1939 a Leaders’ Congress was organised at Camacha, in which numerous Scouts from mainland Portugal took part.
To commemorate the Centenaries of the Foundation and Restoration of Portugal, the Scouts of Madeira organised a Scouting Exhibition, which was open from 1 to 8 December 1940.
The Regional Board of the C. N. E. in Madeira is at present made up as follows: Major Eduardo dos Santos Pereira, Regional Commissioner; Father Jorge de Faria e Castro, Regional Chaplain; António de Santa Clara Gomes, Regional Secretary; João Virissimo Nunes, Deputy Regional Secretary; and Dr Agostinho Cardoso as Regional Medical Officer.
The C. N. E. in Madeira currently has a membership of approximately 160.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 06-
The Corpo Nacional de Escutas was founded in Braga.
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The idea of founding a scout region in Madeira arose.
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The first Madeiran scouts made their solemn promise in Funchal, founding the scout movement in Madeira.
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The first Regional Scout Camp was held in Madeira.
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A scout leaders' congress was held at Camacha.
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A scout exhibition marked the centenaries of Portugal's foundation and restoration.
Place
Places mentioned · 11
Abroad
- Braga
Portugal. City where the Corpo Nacional de Escutas was founded in 1923 and where a national camp was held in 1932.
Braga is a city, district and archdiocese in mainland Portugal and the country's second densest district, with about 140 inhabitants per km². D. José da Costa Torres headed the archdiocese from 1806 and died there. The Corpo Nacional de Escutas was founded in Braga in 1923, and the city gives its name to the requinta instrument.
- Cacia
Portugal. Site of a national scout camp in 1928 attended by Madeiran scouts.
Site of a national scout camp in 1928 attended by Madeiran scouts.
- Camacha
Santa Cruz. Place where a scout leaders' congress was held in 1939.
Camacha is an upland parish above Caniço in Santa Cruz municipality, founded in 1676 with its seat in the São Lourenço chapel. The Elucidário covers its church, role in the 1828 Miguelist invasion, quintas, levadas, the Poiso shelter house, its Pentecost pilgrimage, women's padded skirts, its plants and gardens, and its famous wickerwork industry started by Hinton.
- Caniço
Santa Cruz. Parish where two scout patrols were formed.
Caniço is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz, lying on the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico. Its early settlers included Gaspar Rego, Vasco Fernandes Rego and Álvaro de Ornelas, whose family founded morgados there; its alcaide and judge were appointed by the Funchal senate. The parish includes the Garajau statue, the Jesuits' Socorro residence and the Quinta do Barão da Conceição.
- Colégio church
Funchal. Church where the first Madeiran scouts made their solemn promise on 8 December 1928.
The Igreja do Colégio (São João Evangelista) is the Jesuit college church in the parish of Sé, Funchal, built after 1508. It was the starting point of several processions, the scene of the 1776 thanksgiving ceremonies and anniversary Te Deums, and the burial place of D. Francisco Henriques. It holds a 16th-century painting.
- Funchal
The first scouts came from the former Catholic Youth of Funchal, and two groups met in the city centre.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Lisbon
Portugal. Site of a national scout camp in 1934.
The Portuguese capital, seat of the Relação court and of the Misericórdia whose privileges and statutes were extended to Funchal. Henrique Franco de Sousa studied at its Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and Luiz José Baiardo moved there in 1821.
- Porto Santo
Island with a scout patrol named after Nun'Álvares.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Santa Maria Maior
Funchal. Parish where scout Group 88 (Santiago) was founded.
A partly urban parish in the eastern part of Funchal, the oldest of the archipelago, also known as Nossa Senhora do Calhau or Socorro. Its church is the former St James church, and it is noted for embroiderers producing the finest work. It became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- São Gonçalo
Funchal. Parish where scout Group 76 was founded.
São Gonçalo is a suburban parish at the eastern end of Funchal, created in the sixteenth century, part of whose territory was added in 1927, when it also became a julgado of the Funchal comarca. The Elucidário notes its professional embroiderers producing the finest work, its levadas, its hay supply to Funchal, its shearwater hunters, and that it was the birthplace of Padre Manuel Fernandes de Sant'Ana; it contains Alpires and the Quinta do Rochedo.
- São Roque
Funchal. Parish where scout Group 55 was founded.
São Roque is a suburban parish of Funchal, separated from São Pedro and created under a royal charter of 1579; it is named after its original chapel of São Roque. The Elucidário traces the history of its parish church and lists its chapels, principal localities and population.
People
People mentioned · 10-
Regional medical officer of the Madeira scouts in 1940.
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Regional secretary of the Madeira scouts in 1940.
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Leader of Group no. 5 (Infante D. Henrique), the first scout group founded in Madeira.
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Engineer who was secretary of the first regional scout board in Madeira in 1928.
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Priest who was director, and later regional chaplain, of the Madeira scouts.
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Army officer who served as regional commissioner of the Madeira scouts from 1928 and still held the post as a major in 1940.
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Deputy regional secretary of the Madeira scouts in 1940.
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Physician who was medical officer of the first regional scout board in Madeira.
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Head of the scouts' school for instructors on the first regional board.
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Archbishop-primate of Braga who founded the Corpo Nacional de Escutas in 1923.