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Held at St Mary’s College, Oscott, from 24–27 July, WeBelieve returned for its second year following its inaugural gathering in 2025. The festival brought together families, young people, clergy, religious and Catholic organisations for four days of prayer, liturgy, talks, music and community. the wider work of the Jesuits in Britain. Christie Cheng, Communications and Marketing Manager at the London Jesuit Centre, and Ethel Mudavanhu, Audio Content Producer at Thinking Faith, were joined by Angelo Jesus Canta SJ, a Jesuit scholastic visiting from the United States.
Throughout the festival, the team met people with a wide variety of connections to the Jesuits. Some had been listening to Pray As You Go since its earliest days, while others were discovering it for the first time at WeBelieve. Visitors also spoke about connections with Jesuit schools and Jesuit parishes, and learnt more about Thinking Faith and its podcast Things I Wish I Knew, the Jesuit Institute, the Jesuits’ magazine Jesuits & Friends and the Jesuit Young Adult Ministries.
The stand also offered an opportunity for people to reflect on their own experience of prayer. Each day, visitors were invited to respond to questions including “How do you pray?”, “Where do you pray?” and “Where do you like to pray?”. Contributions came from children as young as eight through to priests and bishops.
Reflecting on this breadth of engagement, Christie said:
“It’s been a great opportunity for Jesuits in Britain to be there, as this shows the depth and breadth of the Catholic faith. It is a good opportunity to introduce Ignatian Spirituality.”
The Jesuit contribution extended beyond the stand. Fr David Krol SJ led a session for young people entitled 'Finding God in All Things', sharing an Ignatian perspective with younger festivalgoers. Angelo Jesus Canta SJ spoke with visitors and helped to serve Mass during the festival, while Jesuit novices visiting on Saturday attended talks and met people from different walks of life, including religious brothers and sisters from other orders.
For Christie, these encounters beautifully echoed Pope Leo XIV’s motto, In Illo Uno Unum (In the One, we are one), as Catholics from different backgrounds and traditions came together in a shared faith.
For Ethel, it was a real joy to join this year , and she was encouraged to hear how pleased people were to see a Jesuit presence there. Reflecting on the festival as a whole, she said:
“It felt like a real celebration of the many ways people encounter God. Above all, WeBelieve was a joyful reminder of the beauty, life and rich diversity of the Catholic Church. And it definitely helped that the weather was great!”
Following the success of its first two gatherings, the organisers of WeBelieve hope to continue holding the festival annually through to the Jubilee of 2033.
