Sophie Lennon |
“Love – caritas – is an extraordinary force. . .”
Introduced in 2011, the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award celebrates the ongoing faith journey of young people in their final year of school.
The Caritas award was introduced by the Bishops of Scotland after Pope Benedict’s memorable visit to Bellahouston Park as a way of remembering the historic day.
The award is inclusive to pupils of all faiths, denomination and backgrounds. All 6th year pupils in St. Andrew’s and St. Bride’s High School are invited to become part of this remarkable journey towards God. Those who choose to be involved benefit enormously through the development of their faith.
Pupils are asked to commit to twenty hours of volunteering within school and twenty hours in their local parish. Pupils can volunteer for a range of different activities from accompanying the school’s new first years on retreat to singing the Psalms at Sunday mass. These actions strengthen the parish community whilst also developing the Caritas candidate’s ability to work well in a team, strengthen their confidence and share God’s love with others.
The words of Pope Benedict are perfect to sum up the meaning of this award; “There is only one thing which lasts: the love of Jesus Christ personally for each one of you. Search for him, know him and love him, and he will set you free.”
These words allow us to reflect on the importance of God in our lives and through our Caritas journey, myself and my fellow pupils will hopefully be able to find and feel the love of God in our everyday actions, which will remain with us beyond the completion of the award.
