Scottish Catholic Observer

More than 900 senior pupils from Catholic schools across Scotland took another step on their journeys of Faith when they were presented with the 2013 Caritas Award on Sunday.

Now in its second year, recipients of the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award more than doubled from 2012, and pupils gleefully accepted their medals of recognition of ten months of service to their schools, parishes and communities at an awards ceremony at a sun-blessed Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow.

Established by the Catholic Church in Scotland as part of the lasting legacy of Pope Benedict’s visit to the country in September 2010, the Caritas programme encourages pupils to put their Faith into action and commit time to assisting in their schools and parish communities.

Throughout the past school year, pupils across the country have made witness to their Faith in a variety of ways.

Prior to collecting their medals on Sunday, youngsters from St Mungo’s High School in Falkirk highlighted that they had worked with the Society of St Vincent de Paul to help one of their fellow pupils who had been made homeless.

St Mungo’s pupils helped to refurbish and decorate a new home, which had been made available for their friend, and they also spoke of the work that they had undertaken in school with St Mungo’s Life Group.

Among the Caritas recipients from St John’s Academy in Perth were pupils Charlotte Robinson, Niamph Jack, Chris Watson, Emily McGuinness, Megan Martin and Chris Wardlaw. Charlotte and Niamph explained that part of their Caritas hours involved spending time as leaders at their local Brownies group. “It has been so much fun working with the young people and it has been great to take part in the Caritas programme,” they said.

Their fellow pupils spoke about time they had spent working with youth groups and volunteering to assist sick and elderly people within their parishes, while Chris Wardlaw mentioned the fulfillment of working with the Children’s Liturgy group at his local parish, Our Lady’s, Perth.

As Caritas recipients, their families, friends and guests arrived at the auditorium on Sunday, they were welcomed by the skirl of the bagpipes, performed by Nicholas Donnelly and Gavin Fairweather of the Glasgow Skye Pipe Band.

The display of musical talents was high on the agenda, with the auditorium’s atrium housing a number of performers, including pupils from St Benedict’s High School in Linwood, who have assisted with the music ministry at their local parish, St Conval’s, and harpists Rebecca Johnstone and Marie Doherty from Trinity High School in Renfrew.

During the ceremony—hosted by broadcasters David and Maura Currie, parishioners of St Charles’ Church, Paisley—guests enjoyed the high-energy singing of the North Lanarkshire Primary School Choir and a stunning rendition of Believe, a song written and performed by Jasmine McFadyen, a pupil of St Paul’s High School, Glasgow, who was among the Caritas Award recipients.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, Bishop Emeritus Joseph Devine and Bishop Joseph Toal were among those who distributed Caritas medals. The Rev Lorna Hood, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, and education representatives, including members of the Caritas Assessment Board, joined the Church hierarchy on stage to present the awards.

During his welcome address, Archbishop Tartaglia told the Caritas recipients that he had received a letter from the Vatican, which expressed Pope Francis’ ‘heartfelt greetings’ to the pupils and his appreciation of the ‘generosity shown by young people from all over Scotland’ in taking part in the Caritas programme.

As president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, Archbishop Tartaglia said that ‘in this Year of Faith, my brother bishops and I are delighted that so many young people have taken up our invitation to commit thousands of hours in acts of loving service in their schools, parishes and local communities.’

“By showing loving kindness to children, to those with special needs, to the sick and elderly, and to those in the developing world, these young people have been able to reflect God’s love in their lives,” Archbishop Tartaglia said.

“They have also been helped to encounter Jesus through reading and reflecting on Scripture and on Church teaching.

“I pray that participating in the Caritas Award will have helped all the young people involved to understand how their actions of loving concern for others are inspired and supported by their faith in God.

“I am sure that, through prayer and by participating in their local faith communities, young people of all faith traditions will see that a life of faith will pay huge dividends for themselves and for others.”

He told the award winners that ‘it consoles and makes us happy that you are here this afternoon.’

Michael McGrath, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, which coordinates the Caritas Award on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, thanked all the people that had contributed to the success of the 2012/13 Caritas programme and—in addition to looking forward to next year’s award, which will be extended to include primary school pupils—noted that there has been interest in the award from some of the dioceses in England.

Addressing this year’s recipients, he encouraged them to ‘show the extraordinary impact of Caritas throughout the rest of their lives.’

As the Caritas Award Ceremony programme highlighted: “While the achievement of the Caritas Award is represented in the presentation of a medal and a certificate, it is likely that that the most significant outcomes are to be found in the impact of the Caritas experience on the lives of the students and on local parishes and communities.”