The diocese of Kildare & Leighlin launched its third annual Pope John Paul II awards, which are awarded to young people who become involved in the life of the their parish. The inaugural awards, launched in memory of the late pontiff, took place two years ago and were launched by the then Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin, Bishop Jim Moriarty, because of the strong tradition of youth ministry in the diocese going right back to the days of the Teach Bhride in Tullow in County Carlow.
Over the last two years the awards have been a huge success with over 350 young people taking part in various at activities and at various levels.
This year the diocese is once again inviting applications from both transition year and fifth year students.
According to the diocese, those who have left school but have done their Junior Certificate are also eligible to apply, while those in third level can apply for the Papal Cross level of the award.
According to the diocese the Pope John Paul II awards encourage young people to get involved in the life of their parish and local community.
The process involved is fairly straightforward; the students sign up for tasks or activities in their local parish and society.
Some get involved in traditional ministries such as choir, reading and extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, whilst others take part in more creative ministries such as art for displaying in the church, church decoration and sacred spaces, becoming a leader with the sacramental preparation programmes or designing a youth notice board.
For voluntary work, young people are engaged in a range of activities from fundraising to work in charity shops, visitation of local residential homes. Many get involved through sport in coaching their local clubs.
There are three categories of awards namely gold, silver and bronze and students choose what level that they want to go for depending on the commitment they are prepared to make.