Baltimore Area Council Religious Retreat Patches

The Baltimore Area Council has a long tradition of council-level religious retreats.

The Catholic Retreat started in 1964; a number of later patches indicate an incorrect anniversary or retreat number. The incorrect designations:

• 1983: indicates “XXI” (21st), actually 19th event
• 1987: indicates 25th anniversary, actually 23rd event
• 1992: indicates 30th retreat, actually 29th event
• 1993: indicates 29th retreat, actually 29th anniversary (30th event)

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Archdiocese of Baltimore annually recognized a unit as the Archbishop’s Honor Unit (later the Cardinal’s Honor Unit). These units were issued patches featuring the coat of arms of Cardinal Shehan. In some years, neckerchiefs with the patch attached were also issued.

The earliest Protestant Retreat patch is from 1974, but the 1984 patch designates the tenth retreat. Either the Protestant Retreat was skipped somewhere in the 1975–1982 period, or the patches are in error, giving the anniversary rather than the number of the retreat. (That is, the tenth anniversary would be the eleventh retreat.)

The Jewish Retreat started in 1977; the 1981 patch designates the fifth retreat. The same 1977 retreat patch may have been used for all three retreats held that year.

Joint patches were used several times. While the first Protestant Retreat patch was made in 1974, I believe the Catholic and Protestant Retreats used the same patches from 1975 through 1983. Roman numerals on the large FDL of the 1983 patch mark the anniversaries of the Catholic (XXI) and Protestant (IX) retreats.

The “Sunday Observance” patch from 2000 includes the Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and Campfire symbols. I do not know whether there was also a BAC-specific retreat patch issued that year.

My needs are highlighted above. Offers will be enthusiastically welcomed. I would also appreciate scans of or information about any patches not shown above.