Guest speaker Emma Walsh (Front left) mother of the late Donal Walsh and Bishop Crean pictured with St. Mary’s Secondary School Award winners at Mallow Youth Centre last week for the Pope John Paul II Awards.
The 3rd annual Pope John Paul II Award Ceremony was held in Mallow Community Youth Centre last Wednesday, 21st October, and 130 young people from the diocese and neighbouring diocese received the award. It was a great achievement for the young people, their families, their schools and local parishes, St Mary’s Secondary School Mallow, Patrician Academy Mallow, Coláiste Mhuire Buttevant, Presentation Secondary School, Mitchelstown, and other schools. The award is made up of three strands. In the first two strands the young people are invited to commit themselves to active involvement in both the life of their local parish and in the service of their community. The third strand invites them to write a short reflection on how their involvement has helped them to understand better what it means to be a member of our church.
The young people immersed themselves into the life of their parish and of their community over the past year. They enhanced their school and parish liturgies through word, song and music, by serving as sacristans, Ministers of the Word and of the Eucharist, helping out in their local parish office, Faith Camps and Youth 2000 prayer meetings, helping on the diocesan trip to Lourdes, taking part in their Parish Mission and Catholic Schools Week. Through their participation they enlivened the great liturgies of our church’s year. They touched the lives of those both home and abroad by raising much-needed funds. They nurtured that faith by attending both parish and school retreats. They have been faith friends to some of the younger people in our society by assisting them with the preparation for Confirmation. They have given life to their faith through their involvement with organisations such as Trocaire and with St. Vincent de Paul. They have served their community by caring and making friends with the elderly and those with special needs through their kindness, goodness, compassion, visitations, fundraising, mentoring and through involvement with groups such as their parish youth clubs, student councils, Cork Penny Dinners, Mentoring in sport activities, Care Choice, Bushmount, water safety, the Scouts and Foróige, ACTivate Club-CDYS Mallow.
Guest speaker on the night was Elma Walsh, mother of the late Donal Walsh. Donal was a young Kerry teenager who touched the lives of so many people through his writings and subsequent appearance on Brendan O’Connor’s ‘Saturday Night Show.’ Donal fundraised tirelessly while battling cancer, and the Donal Walsh #Livelife Foundation was set up by his family primarily in order to promote his anti-suicide #Livelife message. Elma touched the hearts of all the people present on the night, both young and old.
Bishop Crean and Elma Walsh presented the young people with their certificates and medals. Fifty young people received their Bronze award, 6 received Silver, 67 received Gold and 7 received the Papal Cross Award. This was a fantastic achievement for all the young people. It was such a joyous occasion for both their families and their schools.
Mallow students who received their award were from the Patrician Academy – Akhil Jacobs, Darragh O’Brien, William Cronin, Cormac O’Hanlon, Mark O’Sullivan, Conor Murphy, Jack Kearney, Kevin Sexton, Bill Gaine, Liam O’Riordan and their award leader was Ms Harts. St Mary’s students were Emma Buckley, Niamh Buckley, Patricia Buckley, Emily Mannas, Orna Cremin, Aisling Murphy, Sophie Smithers and Aisling Smith and their award leader was Ms Meade.
If you would like to get involved in this fantastic award, please contact Bernadette, Mallow Parish Youth Ministry on 086 8031126 or email: bernadette@cdys.ie
Youth Choir
Interested in singing or playing a musical instrument? Come along on Tuesday next, 3rd November to Mallow Community Youth Centre at 5.30pm. It’s open for young people aged 7- 18 yrs. If you do not fit into this age category but would like to get involved, please come along on Tuesday evening and see about becoming a volunteer. For further information contact Bernadette on 086 8031126, or pop into CDYS in Mallow Community Youth Centre.