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Church attendance has risen by 50 per cent over the last six years, busting the myth of church decline. The findings come in The Quiet Revival, a survey commissioned by the Bible Society and conducted by YouGov. The Quiet Revival shows that the most dramatic church growth is among young adults, particularly young men. In 2018, just four per cent of 18-24-year-olds said that they attended church at... Read More

Last Saturday, Westminster Cathedral was filled with joy as Canon Chris Vipers celebrated the Mass for New Catholics for those who entered the Church at Easter. Set against the backdrop of the largest group since 2018, this was a joyful moment in the life of the diocese. Among the congregation was Ethan, a recent law graduate baptised at the Easter Vigil at St Mary Moorfields. He spoke of realisin... Read More

A Catholic charity helping suffering Christians worldwide has highlighted its long-standing - and fruitful - collaboration with the new pontiff. Regina Lynch, Executive President at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (International), said that the charity worked closely with Pope Leo XIV during his time as apostolic administrator of Callao and bishop of Chiclayo in Peru. While in Callao, he sent a m... Read More

Bishop John Arnold sent this message to the National Justice and Peace 'Opening doors to a sustainable world for future generations' conference. I am delighted to be able to provide a few thoughts for the National Justice and Peace Network "Opening doors to a sustainable world for future generations" conference which brings together Catholics and others to talk about and plan action on environmen... Read More

Justice and Peace contacts from dioceses around England and Wales gathered last Saturday for a networking day on 'Opening doors to a sustainable world for future generations'. It was the third meeting in the series of events for this Jubilee Year of Hope organised by the National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN). Held at CAFOD's office in South London, it brought together around 40 participants fr... Read More

Gospel of 14 May 2025 John 15:9-17 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 'This is my commandment, that you lov... Read More

Pope Leo XIV is to continue a presence on the papal social media accounts, on X and Instagram, following his predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Leo has inherited the @Pontifex account on X (formerly Twitter). The account has over 52 million followers and communicates in nine languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic and Latin) Messages sha... Read More

The Scottish parliament has approved the general principles of legislation that could introduce assisted dying for terminally ill Scots. In a landmark vote MSPs voted by 70 votes to 56 in favour of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at Stage One, introduced by Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur, with one abstention. Responding to today's vote, Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Execu... Read More

Colette Joyce from Westminster J&P writes: A new date has been set for the joint event hosted by the Northern Dioceses Environment Group and the Southern Dioceses Environment Network to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si'. The event originally scheduled for Thursday, 8 May, will now be held on Wednesday 4 June, 7-9pm. All Catholics and our friends are welcom... Read More

The Spring Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Hartley in Kent, will take place on Saturday 31 May, the Feast of The Visitation - celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary's pilgrimage of hope to the hill country near Jerusalem, to visit her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth. The Shrine of Our Lady of Hartley, a designated Jubilee Shrine in the Southwark Archdiocese is situated within the Oratory of Sai... Read More

The May issue of the NJPN NW E Bulletin pays tribute to Pope Francis, giving thanks for his life and leadership. It's clear he touched the hearts of many, not just within the Catholic Church but to people of other faiths and none. The election of Pope Leo was a surprise to many but his focus on peace and building bridges offers the hope we so desperately need in these turbulent times. There can so... Read More

Christians for Palestine will be gathering for prayers on Saturday 17 May, from 12.15pm at St John's Waterloo, before joining the latest National March for Palestine with other faith groups as it passes the church. The march ends on Whitehall. The organisers write: "We will include in our prayers some video testimony from Palestinians living under occupation, and hope to have a speaker recently re... Read More

Fr Sean Smith writes from Knock Shrine: "My hope", said Pope Francis, "is that following this Synod, Synodality may endure as a permanent mode of working within the Church, at all levels, permeating the hearts of all, pastors and faithful alike, until it becomes a shared 'ecclesial style'. However, achieving this demands that a change must occur within each of us, a true conversion." Bishops and p... Read More

Gospel of 13 May 2025 John 10:22-30 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the Temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father'... Read More