WeBelieve Festival – A Weekend in Birmingham
Following our first outing to London earlier this year, Fr Gregory, Fr Andrew, Ben Davies and I travelled to Oscott Seminary in Birmingham to represent Buckfast Abbey at the WeBelieve Festival, “a Festival of Catholic Life celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope.”
The event welcomed thousands of Catholics from across England and Wales, and we were heartened by the sheer diversity of the Church on display. There was a genuine sense of joy and conviction throughout the weekend, a shared hope that ran deeper than any differences in style or expression.
Many visitors spoke warmly about Buckfast Abbey, sharing fond memories or plans to visit. Even among those familiar with the Abbey, few realised just how much we offer -from monastic retreats and hotel stays to our historic grounds, monastic produce, and the exciting launch of the Buckfast Institute. We had a number of sincere enquiries about monastic life, and a great many about visiting, staying, or returning.
As with our visit to London, we came away from Birmingham encouraged and energised. There was a genuine sense that something new is beginning in the life of the Church here in Britain. Attendance is rising, especially among the young, and there is a quiet boldness stirring, rooted not in novelty, but in a deep love for Christ and His Church. As Monsignor John Armitage reflected in his Sunday homily, this may well be the beginning of a new chapter in the Church’s story on these isles: a renewed confidence, a fresh flowering of faith, and a hope set firmly in the Resurrection.
At WeBelieve, we glimpsed that the church is not just memory, it’s a seed. Breaking soil once again with roots deepening quietly. Christ is still loved, and from that love something monumental begins.
Hamish Gregory
