The winner of the 2014 Catholic Young Writer Award – launched by the Catholic Writers’ Guild some years ago and sponsored by the Catholic Union – is Leo Stoy of St George’s Catholic VA College, Swaythling, Southampton. Mrs Joanna Bogle, who sits on the Catholic Union Education Committee, went to St George’s to hand over the shield, £50 cash prize, and books including a new Missal and a copy of YOUCAT, the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church.
There were approx. 600 entries for the 2014 Award, from Catholic secondary schools across England and Wales.The topic was the importance of Sunday for Christians: we were looking for an understanding of the importance of the Resurrection, and for evidence of the writer having consulted the Scriptures, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and John Paul II’s encyclical Dies Domini.
A number of schools gained runner-up prizes, which were copies of YOUCAT.
Robert Rigby Chairman Catholic Union commented ‘This Award has been sponsored by the Catholic Union in collaboration with the Catholic Writers Guild for a number of years and has proved a wonderful platform to get teenagers engaged with looking more closely at their faith. Once again Joanna Bogle has done a sterling job in organising this annual event and thanks must be expressed to all those schools who took part.’