In his first address to the Church and the world, our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV spoke simply but movingly about the peace of Christ, the peace that flows from the Resurrection that is offered to all, without exception. As the Pope came out onto the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square, he said:
I was struck by the power of this experience of a history-making moment by so many millions of us as we watched live on news channels or on social media. No matter what we are watching or listening to, it’s so much richer when it’s shared with other people. In his first public address given to representatives of the media on Monday 12 May, Pope Leo expressed this when he said:
Communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture, of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion.
That’s one reason why we are always keen to present what we do – and share our digital content – at national and diocesan conferences where teachers are able to have conversations and share their thoughts, feelings and reactions with each other.
This summer, we are involved in something that is both similar and different to one of our conference sessions. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring four examples of our creative content to a major new Catholic event at the end of July.
The WeBelieve Festival, being held at St Mary’s College Oscott, near Birmingham, from 25-28 July, is an all-age Catholic festival of faith and culture open to the committed and the curious. There will be keynote speakers, as well as numerous venues hosting different events running concurrently.
On both the Saturday and Sunday of the festival, Mass will be celebrated in the 1900-capacity festival tent. The Saturday Mass marks the 175th anniversary of the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales. Sunday marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, which begins ‘We Believe’. It will also be the occasion that launches year 1 of the octave of preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2033. Like the Great Jubilee of 2000, this is a moment in history and in time that will never be repeated. It signifies two thousand years since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We’ve chosen to get involved because we want to share what we do with a wider Catholic audience, to connect with the children, young people, parents and teachers who will attend – some of whom will already know and love our resources while many will be encountering us for the first time – and to network with other organisations and ministries in service to the Church. Finally, we are aware of how much our work relies on partnership with others and we want to be attentive to how God may be calling us to new initiatives and new forms of partnership.
It’s exciting – and we look forward to connecting with some familiar faces and names. Watch out for us on social media and, if you are attending, say hello, spread the word about our sessions and come along yourself!
What Ten Ten Resources are offering at the WeBelieve Festival
Jubilee Journey Prayer – Each day, there will be an opportunity to join several of the Ten Ten Resources team in the 300-capacity ‘Goodness’ marquee for a short time of prayer and reflection drawing on our powerful Jubilee Journey assemblies that we created for Catholic secondary schools.
Babies – There will be two screenings of this powerful, award-winning play about abortion and unplanned pregnancy which forms part of our Year 10 programme. Each screening will include a time for reflection and audience feedback and is intended for parents, educators and all those interested in how to engage with one of the most important issues of our age.
Smartphones – Through input, video content and discussion, this workshop will be aimed especially at parents and educators. Based on our CPD session ‘Discussing Smartphones’, it opens up an exploration of smartphones in the lives of children and young people.
RE Deep Dive – An opportunity to watch and discuss different videos from our superb new programme that unpacks some of the treasures of Catholic teaching about everything from sin to salvation and features speakers such as Fr Paschal Uche, Marie Fahy, Fr Emmanuel Mansford CFR and Raymond Friel OBE.
Images: WeBelieve
Habemus Papam – Pope Leo XIV by Catholic Church of England and Wales on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
