Over 400 students receive Pope John Paul II Awards at Derry ceremony

419 students from across the Derry Diocese and beyond gathered at Saint Eugene’s Cathedral on Wednesday to receive the prestigious Pope John Paul II Award

The keynote address at the 19th Annual Pope John Paul II Award Ceremony was given by the Patron of the Pope John Paul II Award, Most Reverend Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry. This year 16 people also received the Papal Cross Award.

These young people came from 21 second level schools across the Diocese. They represented 46 parishes in the diocese of Derry and 14 parishes outside the Diocese. 

Bishop McKeown thanked the young people present for their “generous hearts” in engaging with the Award, through which young people are actively involved in their parish, school and local community, develop their faith and understand more fully the very important role they have in the Church.

Bishop McKeown said they had shown that, “they dared to believe in beauty, dared to look at their faith and at Jesus and to believe that we can expect better”. He reminded them of Pope John Paul II’s call to young people to be great and to do great things. He called on them to be encouraged by, “the other young people who are here, that on their own they could do amazing things but, with others, God can do miracles.”

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The Award was founded and created by Fr Paul Farren, Diocese of Derry and has developed over the years with the support of the Pope John Paul II Award Committee, Diocesan Youth Team, schools and parishes.

The Award was launched in Derry in 2006 by the then Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Lazarotto. In the last 19 years the Award has been introduced in 24 dioceses in Ireland and supported by the international coordinator, Mr Tony Brennan, has also been introduced in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle in England.

The Pope John Paul II Award continues to be the largest youth movement in the church in Ireland. Since the Award began approximately 50,500 young people have enrolled nationwide.

Within the Diocese of Derry, a total of 7,474 young people have achieved the Award since its inception.