More than 30 young people from the Diocese of Kilmore received their Pope John Paul II Awards at a special ceremony in the Kilmore Diocesan Pastoral Centre.
Four candidates received the Papal Cross Award, which is the highest award on offer and involves a commitment of 26 weeks to parish work and social awareness. All of the award recipients completed a presentation in which they reflected on the tasks they had undertaken in the light of Gospel values. They also reflected on how the award has helped them understand and appreciate the contribution that young people can make in the Church today.
At the awards ceremony the winners were addressed by Cian McManus, a student in St Patrick’s College, Cavan, who spoke about the importance of faith in his own life.
Afterwards, Bishop Leo O’Reilly, patron of the awards in the diocese, presented the awards to the young people. In his remarks, Bishop O’Reilly congratulated the young people and thanked them for their generosity of spirit in getting involved in such a concrete way in the life of their Church and community. He also thanked the Knights of St Columbanus for their generous support of the award since its establishment in the diocese.