CATHOLIC YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD
This year, 2006, The Catholic Writers' Guild is running two projects in its search for the Catholic Young Writers of the Year. The first is for University students, and tackles the subject of work and the Church's teaching in this area. The second is for Secondary School students, and asks for a discussion of the case for the Pope.
WHY WORK?
What is work for?
Is it to sell our time and effort for money so that we don’t starve?
Is it a form of exploitation and oppression of the poor by the rich?
Is it an evil imposed on us as a punishment for the sin of Adam?
Is it a good thing and a way in which we can echo the work of God?
Is it right to make profits at the expense of others? How much profit? Are there any limits to our relationship with our work – can employers exploit our talents, use up our time, and restrict our behaviour, at will? Or have they responsibilities towards us?
For more than a century, in a series of massive encyclicals, the Popes have been evolving the Church’s teaching on work, sometimes with surprising and uncomfortable conclusions.
TELL US ABOUT A CHRISTIAN AND HUMAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK, MONEY, INDIVIDUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Enter the
CATHOLIC YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2006
This Award, launched some years ago, is sponsored by THE KEYS, The Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales. Any undergraduate student, regardless of faith affiliation, who is aged under 24, studying full-time at a college or University in Britain, and interested in the Roman Catholic perspective on work, human rights, and the community, is eligible to take part.
SEND US AN ESSAY on the theme “WHY WORK?” which looks at the wide aspects of this topic, with particular reference to the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. We expect evidence that you have studied relevant Church documents (including RERUM NOVARUM, LABORENS EXERCENS and CENTESIMUS ANNUS), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1990), etc plus the lives and witness of men and women who have made a significant contribution in this field.
We don’t just want your opinions – we are looking for a well argued and interesting piece of writing which will challenge and inspire its readers to think about work and the place it has in the scheme of things.
RULES for the “WHY WORK?”
Catholic Young Writer Award 2006
This Award is sponsored by The Keys, the Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales.
Essays should be no more than seven pages (a4) and may be hand-written or produced on a computer.
Essays will become the property of the Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales and are non-returnable. You are advised to make a copy before sending your entry to us. Entries cannot be sent by email and must be sent by post.
Each entry must carry the writer’s FULL NAME and DATE OF BIRTH plus FULL POSTAL ADDRESS and the FULL NAME of college or university.
Entries must be received before the end of April 2006. The judges will make a decision by April 30 th 2006 and the winner will be notified by post. The prize, £100, plus books donated by members of the Guild, will be presented in May 2006 at a prizegiving ceremony in London or sent by post.
Entries should be sent to:
THE KEYS
WHY WORK Award
34 Barnard Gardens
New Malden
Surrey
KT3 6QG
THE KEYS
The Catholic Writers' Guild of England and Wales
President: HE Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster
Vice Presidents: Piers Paul Read, Kevin Grant, Antony Tyler OBE
Master: Sean O'Connor Chaplain: Rev C. Cunningham MBE
Guild Church: St Ethldreda's, Ely Place London EC1
WHY DO WE HAVE A POPE?
Catholic Young Writer of the Year Award 2006
In April 2006, Pope Benedict XV1 will mark the first anniversary of his election as Bishop of Rome and successor of St Peter.
Thousands greeted him the when he appeared on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square following his election, and described himself as a “simple labourer in the vineyard of the Lord”. Over a million young people flocked to Cologne to greet him at World Youth Day, lining the banks of the Rhine to cheer him and call out his name “Benedetto!”
But why do we have a Pope? When and how did Jesus Christ establish his Church - and why did he believe it essential to pass on “the keys of the kingdom” to one of his Apostles, giving him the authority to define and uphold teachings?
In the 16 th and 17 th centuries, Catholics in Britain felt so strongly about this link with Rome that many were prepared to face imprisonment – or the particularly horrible form of death known and hanging, drawing, and watering – rather than deny this central part of their religious beliefs. Today, the idea of the Papacy invites derision and cynicism among some people who cannot see why the Church regards it as so important, while others warmly admire the strength and unity it gives to the Church.
YOU ARE INVITED to write and tell us why the Church has a Pope. We don’t just want your personal opinion – we want evidence from the Holy Scriptures, and from relevant Church documents including the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Discover encyclical letters and other material that sheds light on the whole question of the Papacy.
Your essay could win you the CATHOLIC YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD, presented by The Keys, the Catholic Writers’ Guild of England and Wales. It comes with a £100 cash prize, and includes an engraved trophy to be kept for one year.
ENTRY to this Award is open to all young Catholics aged 11- 19, and all pupils at Catholic secondary schools.
CATHOLIC YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2006
HOW TO ENTER
Essays should not be more than 5 pages (A4) in length and can be hand-written or produced on a computer.
Entries can be sent individually or collected together and sent as a group. We welcome entries from RE classes in schools. The project has been designed so that it could be used as part of an RE lesson or series of lessons.
All entries will become the property of the Catholic Writers’ Guild and will be non-returnable. You are advised to make a copy of your entry before sending it to us.
Every essay will be read and the judges’ decision will be final. Certificates of Merit will be warded for all essays of a high standard.
ENTRIES should be sent to the address below BEFORE MARCH 31 st 2006
The Keys
Catholic Young Writer of the Year Award
34 Barnard Gardens
New Malden
KT3 6QG
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