On Wednesday 26 March 2014, hundreds of people both young and old flocked to St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh for the Diocesan Faith Award Ceremony.

This event was celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin and it was set up in order to rejoice in the gifts and talents of 250 young people who were there to collect awards for their role in their respective parishes, communities and schools.

Representatives from all over the Diocese collected the awards, namely the Muiredach Cross Award and the Pope John Paul II Award in an event that has been described as “a fitting celebration for the work of young people in the Diocese.”

The Muiredach Cross Award and the Pope John Paul II Award are prestigious awards in the area of faith development and to receive one is undoubtedly a thing of great honour for those who were being celebrated at this event.

The Muiredach Cross Award is particularly aimed at the younger members of society throughout the schools in the Diocese.

It is hoped that participation in this award will provide a solid foundation upon which to build in later life when a young person is eligible for the Pope John Paul II Award.

There is great interest in participation in these two awards and this was highlighted by the sheer enthusiasm shown in attendance at the event.

The positive thing about these awards night was that it wasn’t a passive experience for those involved.

The pupils and their schools were actively involved throughout the whole ceremony, providing music and displaying the talents that are being put to such good use within their local communities.

This event wasn’t only about recognising the achievements of the participants, but also to give them another platform to showcase their skills.

The event continued with a reflection and conversation about the awards, which was facilitated by Archbishop Eamon Martin and involving three young people who shared their experiences of all the Diocesan Faith Awards.

The guest speaker was Andrea Begley, who in recent times is more known for winning series two of the BBC programme, ‘The Voice’.

Andrea gave a humble testimony of her life, her challenges, her achievements and the importance of her faith.

After speaking to Armagh Diocesan Youth Director, Dermot Kelly, he said; ‘we invited Andrea as our guest speaker, because she is a young woman of faith who epitomises that life can be challenging at times but if we have the trust in God anything is possible’.

The events included great, inspiring and lively music by Ciara Fox from Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore.

Archbishop Eamon Martin and Dean Colum Curry presented the awards and there was great sense of achievement and enthusiasm in the Cathedral air.