“love of neighbour will no longer be for them a commandment imposed, so to speak, from without, but a consequence deriving from their faith, a faith which becomes active through love.” (Deus Caritas Est #31)
During this school year over 700 pupils from across the Scottish Dioceses have been participating in the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award and have committed themselves to being witnesses to their belief that Love – “Caritas” – is an extraordinary force. As their Caritas year comes to an end, it is now time for them to consider their experience, to reflect upon their Caritas journey and to share their learning with others.
The following points are intended to assist candidates and co-ordinators as they prepare to submit their final evidence for the 2012 award. A timeline of significant dates is listed below.
1 Candidate Details
By mid-February each presenting centre will receive the candidate list of all those pupils enrolled for the Caritas award. Caritas co-ordinators are asked to check the list, amend it as necessary and return it to SCES no later than 24th February 2012.
2 Caritas Submissions Deadline
The deadline for the final submission of all evidence is 31st March 2012. By then each candidate wishing to be considered for the Caritas Award should have completed their evidence requirements and have given these to their Caritas co-ordinator. This evidence should demonstrate that the candidate has fulfilled the success criteria, including completing the required hours for faith witness in school and parish/faith community. A guidance document on the final submission has been e-mailed to all Caritas co-ordinators (and is attached below). A copy of this guidance should be distributed to each candidate.
3 Faith Witness in school and parish/faith community
Each candidate should have completed 20 hours of faith witness in both their school and their parish or faith community. A wide range of activities within schools, parishes, dioceses and Church organisations can be undertaken to fulfil this requirement. Please contact SCES if you still have any queries regarding appropriate faith witness activities.
4 Gaining the Caritas Award
All submissions for the Caritas Award will be judged by an independent Caritas Awards Board, consisting of a range of experienced individuals. Notification of the outcome of submissions will be sent to presenting centres by 4th May 2012.
5 Caritas Awards Ceremony 2012
To mark this inaugural year of the award we will be hosting a national ceremony for successful candidates in the Clyde Auditorium (Armadillo) Glasgow on Saturday 2nd June 2012. Each person who receives an award will be entitled to a minimum of three tickets for the Awards Ceremony, enabling family members to attend this event. Additional tickets will also be supplied to schools and parishes. Details of ticket allocations will arrive in schools by 18th May 2012.
6 Caritas Awards Ceremony 2012 – How can I get involved?
Entertainment: We hope that this ceremony willl not only be a celebration of the commitment and achievements of the Caritas pupils, but also an opportunity to showcase the talents of other young people. We would like to invite school choirs, bands and orchestras to volunteer to entertain our invited guests, including Caritas candidates and their families, in and around the Clyde auditorium, as they arrive for the ceremony. Schools interested in performing should contact SCES as soon as possible.
Press Coverage: With around 2,000 people from every diocese in Scotland attending the awards ceremony, we would also like to make this a key media event which gives attention to the positive contribution of young people to Scotland’s communities. We would encourage schools to contact their local newspapers and radio stations and let them know about the success of their Caritas Award pupils. In addition, we would invite schools to nominate a pupil ‘reporter’ who will cover this event for their school newsletter and parish bulleting and also submit articles for local newspapers and the Catholic press. These young reporters could also be given the chance to attend the ceremony and take part in a press conference with Cardinal O’Brien.
Organisational Help: If any member of staff has relevant experience to assist with the front of house or backstage organisation of the Awards Ceremony, please contact SCES as soon as possible.
7 Enrolling for the Caritas Award 2013
In June we will be asking schools/parishes to provide us with a provisional number of interested students for session 2012-13. By 15th August, Caritas Co-ordinators will receive letters asking them to confirm numbers of enrolments, using a spreadsheet which will be provided for this purpose. NB Enrolments for the Caritas Award must be completed by 31st August 2012.
8 Caritas News on SCES website
Updated details of the award scheme, together with news bulletins and news of school participation, are being posted on the SCES website (see Caritas Award) as a means of keeping everyone informed of developments. Schools are encouraged to post comments on this page in order to share experiences with colleagues in other schools. A set of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) is also being kept updated on the SCES website: Caritas Award FAQs. Again, please use this page to add a comment or to ask a question.
9 Key Dates for Caritas Award
- February & March – candidates compile final submission
- 24th February – centres confirm details of enrolled Caritas candidates
- 5th March – SCES provides flyleaf for each candidate
- 31st March – deadline for submitting evidence
- 4th May – results notified to centres
- 14th May – tickets for Awards Ceremony issued to centres
- 2nd June – national Caritas Awards Ceremony in the Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow