Diocese of Nashville

Catholic Committee on Scouting (CCOS)

Presents 2025 Trail of Churches Tour

A Nashville Historical Perspective of Historic Catholic Parishes

Event Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025 (Rain or Shine - Be Prepared)

Event Time: Check-in 7:45 - 8:00 am. Program begins promptly at 8:15 am and  will conclude at approximately 4:00 pm.

Passport Information and Instruction: To earn the Trail of Churches patch, the participant must (a) have registered, (b) have paid the $8.00 fee, (c) have completed the Trail of Churches (TOC) Tour, and (d) have completed the TOC Passport. Please note, the Passport requires all answers to certain questions about each historic church on the TOC and includes questions concerning you own place of worship. You must print and complete the entire Passport, including the questions related to your place of worship before the TOC patch can be awarded. Please the registration website to download a copy of the Trail of Churches Passport. At the conclusion of each historical church presentation, you must have the presenter sign off on your work. The completed Passport will be presented to the event organizers at the conclusion of the day and the TOC patch will be awarded at that time. Therefore, the questions related to your place of worship must be answered BEFORE you come to the TOC tour on Saturday, March 2nd.

Purpose: The TOC tour serves to connect Scout youths to Scouting in the Catholic Church, Scouting as Youth Ministry and Duty to God principals found inthe Diocese of Nashville, Catholic Committee on Scouting (CCOS) mission and vision statements, the Scout Oath and Law, the GSUSA Promise, The AHG Oath and Creed and the TLUSA Oath, as well as provide a historical perspective of Catholic Churches in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The four historical Catholic Churches (Parishes) of the Diocese of Nashville to be visited are as follows:

Saint Mary of the Seven Sorrows, 330 5th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37219
Cathedral of the Incarnation, 2015 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
St. Patrick’s, 1219 Second Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37210
Holy Name Catholic Church, 521 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206

Registration and Fees: The fee is $8.00 per person before February 27, 2025 If you do not want a patch or to participate in the Passport, we welcome you to be a part of the program for free.

Two Deep Leadership Required: This event requires Two Deep Leadership of youth participants at all times. Two Deep Leadership is a safety procedure where every activity involving a youth must have a minimum of two adults present. Unless the youth is your own child, no adult should ever be unaccompanied by another adult when in the presence of a youth or group of youths. The Diocese of Nashville CCOS will not allow a Scout or unattended youth to participate without a parent, guardian and/or without two deep adult supervision. 

Tour Dress Code Requirements: All participants on this Tour are expected to dress appropriately and modestly. Males or females not affiliated with Scouting should wear clothing that covers both their shoulders and knees. As a sign of respect, please no shorts, tank tops, or uncovered shoulders. Scouting America participants are asked to dress in their Field Uniform (Class A). Girl Scouts are asked to wear jackets, sashes or tunics with long pants, or skirt/dress, AHG and TLUSA members should be in full uniform. Keep in mind, we are visiting houses of worship.

How to Earn the Trail of Church Patch: Bypassing the first house of worship does not allow the participant to complete the tour, and the Scout will not receive the patch. In addition, at the end of the event Saturday, the participant must have registered, paid, completed and obtained all the signatures from the historic church presenters. As previously stated, there are a total of five (5) required churches to complete and obtain signatures to earn the TOC patch. The first house of worship visit must be completed and signed before beginning the tour on Saturday.  Lunch: A lunch break is planned at approximately 11:30 am at Cathedral of the Incarnation. You are encouraged to bring your own sack lunch and drink. However, there are multiple restaurants nearby that you can select from to eat. 

Tour Schedule: Check in will be at St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Catholic Church located at 330 Fifth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37219 between 7:45 and 8:00 am on Saturday March 1, 2025. The first historic church tour will begin promptly at 8:15 am and will last until approximately 9:30 am. (Do NOT forget to bring your Passport with the signature and questions answered from your own place of worship.) The TOC will occur rain or shine, so be prepared with ponchos, raincoats, or umbrellas if rain is forecast. All participants are encouraged to carpool from location to location.

At 9:45 am we will arrive at Cathedral of the Incarnation located at 2015 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203. We will tour the Cathedral of the Incarnation from 10:00 am until 11:15 am.

At 11:15 am we will break for lunch until 12:45 pm at which time we will convene at St. Patricks located at 1219 Second Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37210. We will tour St. Patrick’s beginning at 1:00 pm until 2:15 pm. 

At 2:15 pm we will depart St. Patrick’s for Holy Name Catholic Church located at 521 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206 and commence the tour at 2:30 pm until 3:30 pm. At that time, we will gather for a reception and the TOC patches will be awarded to those that have completed the Passport. We will adjourn at approximately 4:00 pm.