Scottish Catholic Observer

Now in its fourth year, the Caritas Award gives pupils in their final year of school the opportunity to go on a journey of faith, volunteering in their community and parishes and putting Catholic social teaching into action.

The award invites young people to explore the impact on their lives of Caritas, described by Pope Benedict XVI as ‘the love which God lavishes upon us and which we in turn must share with others.’

On Wednesday June 3, hundreds of pupils from across Scotland will gather together in Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium for the ceremony.

This year, more than 1000 pupils of different faiths took part in the scheme, with many already receiving praise from councils and communities for their work, including pupils from St Peter the Apostle High School in Clydebank who have been volunteering in homeless shelters. Pupils from John Paul Academy in Summerston, meanwhile, have been visiting their primary school counterparts taking part in the Pope Francis Faith Award, the Caritas equivalent for P6 and P7 children.

This year, with the rise in the number of foodbanks across the country, Caritas pupils have been at the forefront of helping out those struggling on low incomes, with pupils at Notre Dame High School in Greenock amongst those helping out.

At last year’s ceremony,  Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said he was sure that ‘through prayer and by participating in their local faith communities, young Catholics and indeed young people of other faith traditions who are also present in our school communities will see that a life of faith can be hugely nurturing and fulfilling and inspiring for themselves and for others.’