Diocese of Achonry

The Pope John Paul II Award encourages you to go beyond your comfort zone on a journey of self-discovery. It challenges you to give of your time, your talents, your intellect, and your social skills for the well-being of others and for the Glory of God.”

The Pope John Paul II Award enables participants to take an active part in the life of their Church - in the life of their community and society. It also enables young people become more aware of the teaching and role of the Catholic Church in the world and to engage at a deep level with Christ.

The Award is committed to helping young people enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional and social development through participation in school, parish and community activities.

Five hundred and seventeen young people came forward for Confirmation in the Diocese of Achonry this year. I have had the joy of celebrating this significant sacrament with a similar number of young women and men each year in the Diocese for the past six years. Each one of these candidates is 'sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit', through the anointing with the Oil of Chrism. This happens individually immediately after the community of believers have joined with the Bishop in fervently praying for the Holy Spirit to come upon these young candidates and be alive in them. The Holy Spirit is alive in us when any of the seven gifts are alive and active in the way we live, the choices we make, the activities in which we engage.

If as church and parish community we facilitate the young people in coming to Confirmation, then we have a serious obligation to call them afterwards to actively live out their confirmation, and to help them to do so. This, it seems to me, is where the Pope John Paul II Award can come in.

The post-confirmation years for the young person are years of great energy and great eagerness to be involved in the world, and especially in the local community and church, in a more mature and adult way. We need our young people with their many gifts and great enthusiasm in all our parishes, and what a difference it would make to our parishes if they were involved and active. The ancient Confirmation hymn 'Veni Creator Spiritus' (Come Holy Spirit) contains the line - ‘You in your seven-fold gifts are known': known when our actions and lives show forth wisdom, understanding, right judgement, courage, knowledge, reverence and wonder and awe in God’s presence.

If we invite our young people to take up the challenge of the Pope John Paul II Award, then it is in this context of our commitment as parish to them as Confirmed young people that we do so, enabling the gifts come alive in them. When we invite young people to participate, the Award can be an opportunity for us in our parishes to creatively be faithful to them, and to the commitment we make as church to them when we accept them for the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is a responsibility we have not always sufficiently honoured, and for that we need to make amends.

So it is with a sense of opportunity and great hope that I welcome this initiative in the Diocese, and I thank the teachers, priests and particularly the Knights of Columbanus who have been instrumental in introducing the Award to us. Go raibh beannacht Dé go fial ar an saothar seo don óige sa deoise.

+ Bishop Brendan Kelly
Bishop of Achonry

Award Top-Ups are given in recognition of the extra activities that Award participants are already involved in.

Top-Ups will go towards the total number of hours an individual has to complete.

Papal Cross: 7.5 hours
Gold: 6 hours
Silver: 4.5 hours
Bronze: 3 hours

Top-Ups can be achieved in a number of ways, for example:

Retreats
Any student who takes part in at least a one day retreat will be eligible for an Award Top-Up.

Pilgrimage
Each year young people from the diocese travel to Lourdes. Travelling as part of this group or volunteering as a member of the pilgrimage team can be part of this Award.

Diocesan Youth Activities
On a number of occasions during the year, the Office of Youth Ministry will organise youth activities such as participation in the diocesan pilgrimage to Knock, Knock Youth Summer Festival, other regional and national Catholic Youth Events, Youth Retreat Days or other pilgrimage activities. Participation in these activities can be part of the Pope John Paul II Award.

Humanitarian Trips
Many third level students undertake humanitarian trips to Third World countries during their summer break. These trips can also provide an opportunity for Top-Ups for the Pope John Paul II Award.

World Youth Day
World Youth Day is an international festival of Catholic faith organised every three years. Young people who travel to this wonderful event and participate in the preparation programme will be eligible for an Award Top-Up.

There may be other activities that you are involved in that are not included here but may be relevant, if so please contact the Pope John Paul II Award Committee for approval at Achonry Youth Ministry, The Presbytery, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.

Making young people visible in their church, community & society

The Pope John Paul II Award

The Pope John Paul II Award encourages you to go beyond your comfort zone on a journey of self-discovery. It challenges you to give of your time, your talents, your intellect, and your social skills for the well-being of others and for the Glory of God.”

Message from the Bishop of Achonry

The Award in the Diocese of Achonry

There are 4 Awards - Gold, Silver, Bronze & Papal Cross

Diocese of Achonry Award Top-Up Suggestions

Downloads

Award Handbook

Award Resources

News

Diocese of Achonry, Pope John Paul II Award ceremony 2016

The Award runs in Ireland and the UK, find your diocese below.

If you are an Award participant, you can find all materials required to complete your Award on your Diocese Award page

The Award

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Contact Achonry Award Office