The Pope John Paul II Award was created to commemorate the late Pope John Paul II who was so committed to young people and who had such belief and confidence in them.
Who is the Papal Cross Award for?
Students who have completed and received the Gold Award.
Papal Cross Award requirements
To achieve a Papal Award participants must complete the following:
| Papal Cross Award Activities | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Parish Involvement: | 1 hour per week x 26 weeks |
| Social Awareness: | 1 hour per week x 26 weeks |
| Project: | See below |
| Top-Ups: | 7.5 hours |
How do I enrol in the Award?
To enrol, complete and sign the application form. You should then return the completed form along with with the enrolment fee to your Award leader in your school/parish.
When your enrolment is processed you will receive your Record Card from your Award leader. You will decide with your Award leader what activities you intend to carry out under the sections ‘Parish Involvement’ and ‘Social Awareness’.
As you progress through the Award and complete each activity it is important to get each individual activity signed off on the record card by the named facilitator.
The Papal Cross Award project is to be completed at the end of the tasks.
Application form
Download Parish & Social Activities
Download
Parish Involvement
Participants can earn their Award by taking an active role in their parish.
When we are baptised we become members of the Body of Christ. This means that we are called to be the presence of Christ in the world. As the Body of Christ, we belong to the community of the Church. We live out this belonging in our parish. For the Church, for the Body of Christ to be fully alive everybody needs to be actively involved. There are many things we can do in our parish.
Examples of activities in the parish that can be done for the Award are:
- Reading at Mass
- Altar Server
- Eucharistic Minister
- Member of choir/folk group
- Assisting with Children’s Liturgy
- Taking up gifts
- Collector
- Composing prayers of the faithful
- Preparing articles for the parish bulletin
- Welcoming/handing out leaflets or bulletins
- Helping in parish office
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.
Social Awareness
Participants can earn their Award through involvement in activities which build social awareness.
As members of the Body of Christ, through baptism, we make Christ present by the way we treat others. Our faith is lived out most fully in our actions, that is why it is important to be aware of the needs of others and to minister to their needs. That is why ‘Social Awareness’ is such an important aspect of this Award.
Examples of activities in the area of Social Awareness that you could do for your Award are:
- Participation in St. Vincent de Paul projects
- Trocaire
- Irish Red Cross
- Coaching GAA games
- Peer mentoring
- Volunteering at charity shops
- Volunteering at community centres
- Ongoing fundraising
- Visiting residential homes
- Faith Friends/Lighthouse programme
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.
Papal Cross Award Top-Ups – 7.5 hours
Award Top-Ups are given in recognition of the extra activities that young people are already involved in. Top-Ups will go towards the total number of hours an individual has to complete.
Top-Ups can be achieved in a number of ways, for example – helping with the sick pilgrims at Lourdes or working on behalf of Children in Crossfire.
These type of activities will gain Papal Cross Award participants Top-Ups of 7.5 hours.
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. Participating Diocese may also have suggestions.
The Papal Cross Award Project
On completion of the 26 hours in the parish involvement and social awareness strands, the young person completes a project. The nature of the project will be decided in consultation with the student, their school and the catechetical centre. The project will require a commitment level of 10-20 hours depending on the chosen activities. Through the project the young person will demonstrate on-going commitment to faith and good works.
Projects can be chosen from the following areas:
- Pastoral – such as the promotion of good choices within school or parish context
- Spiritual – Helping to facilitate retreats, liturgies and services through school or the centre
- Peer Ministry – Working with younger pupils in school or at parish level to deliver faith based programmes such as GIFT or ‘Walk Tall’
- Personal Skills Tasks – Art, Computer, Public Speaking, Music, Drama. Examples could be designing activities and ideas for group work at retreats, designing/making banners. Graphic design for a newsletter. Making a PowerPoint presentation or designing posters for Diocesan Events. Working with Diocesan Initiatives such as the youth choir or pilgrimages.
Evidence
The participant will complete a personal profile about their project that may contain photos and examples of work and must include a 300 word summary.