There is real concern in England around dwindling Mass attendance, priest shortages and the abandonment of Church teaching – it is hardly unique in that respect. What this past weekend showed me is what England does have: a creative bunch of young Catholics who are bravely endeavouring to offer solutions rather than merely acknowledge the problems. This past weekend, I joined 2,700 people at St Mary’s Seminary in Oscott for the WeBelieve Festival.
What began in the summer of 2025 as a commemoration of the Jubilee Year is on the fast track to becoming one of the most popular Catholic events in the UK. A big part of its appeal comes from its target audience: everyone. What might at first seem overambitious, the WeBelieve Festival has made seem almost effortless. Somehow, its staff have put together a weekend that wove together laity and clergy, priests and Religious, young and old, traditional and charismatic, East and West into a single, unified celebration.
The whole atmosphere was a little paradoxical, much like the Church itself. The sound of hymns mingled with the shrieks of children at play, while the air, fragrant with incense, was tinged with the aromas of food trucks, and a seminary normally devoted to priestly formation became home to thousands of campers. It was heavenly and earthy at once – truly Catholic.
In addition to liturgy and community, there was plenty to stimulate the mind. Talks on every manner of topic were offered by a wide variety of speakers throughout the day in tents dotted across the seminary campus. In the space of a few hours, you could receive a thorough breakdown of the deadly sin of acedia, attend a panel on raising Catholic children or learn about the history of Gregorian chant.
WeBelieve comes at a time when the Catholic Church in England is experiencing signs of renewal, with increasing numbers of converts and growing interest among young adults. I recognised several of my own former OCIA candidates among the volunteer staff. Seeing them joyfully serving at an event like this made those reports of renewal feel tangible rather than mere statistics.
There was a little something for everybody. During the day, people could be found attending talks, sitting in adoration, going to Confession, playing football or simply enjoying wholesome conversation with their fellow faithful.
Growing up in Steubenville, Ohio, gave me the impression that Catholic conferences were commonplace. The town is home to Franciscan University, whose summer conferences draw thousands of Catholics each year, as well as the Apostolate for Family Consecration, another longstanding centre of Catholic family life. It did not take long to become disabused of that notion. Most towns do not, in fact, have massive Catholic gatherings every summer. I was therefore delighted to find something similar taking root here in England.
WeBelieve, much like English Catholicism itself, is more rough-and-ready than its American counterpart. Whole fields were filled with family-sized tents packed closely together to make the most of the available space. Whatever it might lack in room, however, it more than makes up for in enthusiasm.
In John 17:21, Jesus prayed “that they may all be one” as he is one with the Father. Events like this remind me that Jesus is not just praying for reunification between Catholics and Protestants, but also for unity among Catholics themselves.
I don’t know how much time you spend on Catholic X/Twitter or Facebook, but it turns out that not all Catholics agree with one another on everything. Shared experience breeds affection. The WeBelieve Festival has created a space where Catholics from all walks of life can make wholesome memories together, share the aspects of the Faith that speak most deeply to their hearts and become more closely united as the family of God.
If there is one challenge facing the organisers, it is figuring out how to accommodate all the demand their success has created. Perhaps, following the example of the Steubenville conferences, they should even consider holding WeBelieve more than once a year. Either way, I will certainly be marking my calendar for next year, and I hope you will as well.
I could not help but feel moved as I sat shoulder to shoulder in the very chapel where St John Henry Newman preached his famous sermon on the “Second Spring” of the Catholic Church in England, singing the Nunc Dimittis. It was hard not to wonder whether we might be witnessing the beginning of spring. I left with a renewed sense of hope for the Catholic Church in England.
