“How beautiful it would be if each of you, every evening, could say:
‘Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed
a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person!”.
(Pope Francis, addressing young people, April 2013)
The POPE FRANCIS FAITH AWARD is an award of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, designed to help children to show “signs of love” in their daily lives and to be active members of their local Church. It invites young people at the Primary 6 and 7 stages to use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and to see how they can bear fruit in their homes, schools and parishes. It is directly connected to what young people are learning about the Sacrament of Confirmation.
What will young people do to gain the award?
There are 3 main activities for the young people enrolled for the award.
- At various points, mainly across P6 & P7, they will gather together to reflect on a short Scripture passages which will help them to LEARN and REFLECT about their Faith.
- After they reflect on each Gift of the Holy Spirit they will be asked to ACT by choosing a Faith Action which they will do at HOME, in SCHOOL and, if they are Catholic, in their PARISH.
- They will note their learning, their actions and their reflections on these in their personal FAITH Journal which will act as a scrapbook for collecting evidence – notes, photographs etc.
How will their achievements be judged?
Evidence must be gathered to show that each young person:
• has used all the gifts of the Holy Spirit when showing love of God and love of others.
• has reflected on how their actions have made an impact on their journey of faith.
For a Catholic child to gain the FAITH AWARD with a Parish Commendation, the Parish Priest must confirm that these young parishioners are playing their part in the life of the parish.
How will the FAITH AWARD be presented?
Following an assessment of the evidence gathered, the Faith Award will be awarded on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Scotland. The Scottish Catholic Education Service, which administers the award, will provide a certificate and a badge for each successful entrant. In each local area arrangements will be made by schools and parishes to present these awards.
What is expected of Parents?
Parents are asked to support their child’s participation in the award by:
• attending a short service at which their child will be enrolled for the award
• encouraging their child to complete their chosen Faith actions at home
• reporting on the completion of the Faith actions at home
• accompanying their child (if Catholic) to Mass in their local parish.
What is expected of Parishes?
Parish priests are asked to:
• lead a short enrolment service in the parish
• encourage young parishioners by endorsing the faith actions which they will choose
• appoint a parish co-ordinator for the Faith Award
• encourage parishioners to support the young people involved
• ensure the monitoring of faith actions undertaken in the parish
• follow guidance from SCES on awarding Parish Commendations.
