“Signs of Hope in this Jubilee Year” Sydney Catholic Business Network Luncheon

Four Seasons Hotel, The Rocks, 30 May 2025

Bishops, Fathers, Sisters, Sponsors, Business Networkers, Friends all,

 I. Winter for the Church

173 years ago, St John Henry Newman began a sermon to the clergy of Westminster with a beautiful reflection upon “the perpetual renovation” of our world—not constant home renovations a la contemporary Australia, but renewal in the natural order.[1] With respect to the social order, however, Newman was less sanguine: good human actions often turn ugly, and noble ambitions can end in failure.[2] Works of genius and whole civilisations end in dissolution. Pre-Reformation Catholic England boasted missionaries and martyrs, cathedrals and monasteries, universities and parishes—and, in the blink of an eye, all was gone.[3] Three centuries later, there were only “a few adherents of the Old Religion, moving silently and sorrowfully about, as memorials of what had been.” So contemptible were Catholics to ‘enlightened’ Englishmen, that their return in any numbers seemed preposterous.

For decades now, the story of Western Christianity has been largely one of diminishment.[4] The numbers identifying as Christian have declined year by year; practising rates are poor, and are worse in some demographics; once teeming churches stand empty or offer only occasional services, and parishes have been amalgamated; baptisms, confessions, church weddings, ordinations and Christian burials are in free-fall; priests are too few, lay volunteers also, and religious in terminal decline; there’s widespread ignorance of the Christian story, even amongst should-be Christians; the secularisation of the public square continues apace and there’s mounting pressure on religious freedom (as I discussed here last year); traditional Christian morals, especially around life and sex, are under assault and pop culture gleefully denigrates Christians as benighted or oppressive. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil your lunch! All in all, a serious Catholic revival in the West seems as improbable now as in Newman’s day…

II. Spring follows winter

Yet in Newman’s sermon the pessimism was not sustained. For all of a sudden, in his own time, Catholic England was experiencing “a Second Spring”.

For grace can, where nature cannot. The world grows old, but the Church is ever young. She can, in any time, at her Lord’s will, ‘inherit the Gentiles, and inhabit the desolate cities’… [So] Arise, Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee… Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come. For the winter is now past, and the… flowers have appeared in our land…^[5]

Whatever of nineteenth century Britain, the narrative of Christianity’s inevitable demise, especially in the Anglosphere, has been seriously challenged of late. Emerging data points to survival and even revival happening before our very eyes.[6]

In the United States, the Pew Research Center noted earlier this year that the long-observed decline of Christianity has slowed and perhaps plateaued.[7] The key trend-breaking demographic is Gen Z, the ‘Zoomers’ or ‘post-millennials’, suggesting renewed interest in Christianity among young people. College campuses, long incubators for secularisation, now have new Bible studies, worship and apologetics.[8] Many U.S. dioceses reported a 40% uptick in adult conversions this past year, more in some places.[9] Los Angeles alone welcomed 5,500 new Catholics this Easter,[10] while Notre Dame University had the biggest number ever in the RCIA.[11]

The once rare celebrity conversion story is increasingly commonplace. Recently, actors Leah Remini and Shia LaBeouf, singers Carrie Underwood and Grimes, comedians Russell Brand and Rob Schneider, public intellectuals Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Candace Owens and Niall Ferguson, sports stars Dominique Dawes, Clay Dimick, Gordon Hayward and Mia, all openly embraced Christian faith, some as Catholics.[12] Fellow-travellers, such as psychologist-commentator Jordan Peterson, historian Tom Holland, musician Nick Cave, and even billionaire Elon Musk, seem to be inching their way to church.[13] And for every big-name convert there are thousands of less celebrated ones. Most seem to want full-cream faith: God, Bible, Tradition, Liturgy, Morality, the whole kit and caboodle![14]

Meanwhile, far more books and articles are appearing on the rise of faith in the West than its decline.[15] Catholic apologists like Bishop Barron, Scott Hahn, Edward Sri and Trent Horn are generating millions of downloads. And prayer and meditation apps such as Hallow (promoted by Mark Wahlberg) are also.

Similar indications of a Christian renaissance can be found in the U.K. The Bible Society reports that Christian affiliation in Britain grew significantly between 2018 and 2024, with an overall increase in monthly church attendance of 56%.[16] The largest growth is (again) in young adults, 18 to 24, who are four times more likely to attend church monthly than they were six years ago. Catholic Westminster welcomed 500 adults into the Church at Easter, Southwark across the Thames almost as many, both breaking all records; in Cardiff numbers doubled in a year;[17] and across the way in Dublin they were also reporting the biggest numbers ever.[18]  Among Gen Z, Catholics in Britain now outnumber Anglicans by two or three to one.[19]

On the continent, too, there are signs of revival. Belgium had 50% more adult baptisms this year than last, triple as many as a decade ago. Austria reported an 85% year-on-year increase this Easter. Large-scale conversions of young adults were reported from Sweden to Kosovo. And in France—poster child for secularisation—there were over 17,000 adult and adolescent baptisms this Easter, 45% more than last year and the highest figure for decades![20]  Commentators have been asking “What’s driving the rise in adult baptisms across the world?”[21]

A simple answer would be: the Holy Spirit! Of course, each person’s story is unique. For some it was Covid that thrust the big questions about life and death before them. The fascination of the world media with the death of one pope and advent of another also helped: following Francis’ death, Google reported a 373% increase in the search ‘How to become Catholic?’ Many converts talk of a search for meaning in the desert of contemporary culture, where moral relativism, consumerism and wokery leave people disoriented or fatigued. Some find answers on-line. Others are wowed by the beauty and sacredness of the liturgy, art or music. Some are attracted by tradition or certainty in an age of flux. Others crave real community.

Here in Australia, the signs are also positive. M^cCrindle Research recently found that 1 in 10 Australians who identified as ‘No religion’ in 2016 had changed their answer to ‘Christianity’ in the 2021 Census.[22] Between converts and reverts, that’s 800,000 extra now identifying as Christians rather than ‘Nones’.

 III. A ‘Second Spring’ for Sydney?

There are many signs of hope in the Archdiocese of Sydney. There’s been a 26% increase in adult converts, year-on-year, for five years now. In the past month we’ve ordained a bishop, two deacons, and tomorrow a priest, the 36^th since 2015. 25 Aussie women have given the Nashville Dominicans a go, and many have been professed and now serve in Australia. Dozens more women and men attend our vocational discernment events. Seminarian numbers are strong, with 46 in Good Shepherd Seminary for various dioceses. Sydney has 30 in seminaries in Homebush (16), Chester Hill (10), Rome (3) and Melbourne (1). Against the trend in many places, our clergy are getting younger: their average age fell by two years in Cardinal Pell’s time, two more so far in mine. And there’s plenty for them to do: we’ve had to double the hours of confessions each week at St Mary’s alone; there the numbers at Sunday and feast day Masses just keep growing; soon we might need a bigger cathedral!

Practically every conference or event put on by the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation is over-subscribed, even though we host far more than elsewhere. A recent women’s retreat by the Dominican Sisters drew 700; a men’s Mass and gathering was likewise standing-room-only. Our Catholic school enrolments keep growing, and our latest survey found a significant rise in overall religiosity of our students. Some lay movements and groups are thriving.

Despite social pressures to the contrary, many of the faithful are willing to ‘go public’ about their faith. ‘Christmas at the Cathedral’ now draw hundreds of thousands. A recent Rosary Procession drew big crowds, as did the seven churches pilgrimage across Sydney on Holy Thursday night. We are preparing for as many as 20,000 for the ‘Walk With Christ’ on Corpus Christi. And many faithful rallied at parliament against a nasty abortion bill, helping us get some improvements.

On the not-so-distant horizon, we will host the 54^th International Eucharistic Congress in 2028—the centenary of the last time Sydney was host and 20 years since World Youth Day. The 1928 Congress drew half a million, and this time, with the very real prospect of a papal visit, we could do as well or better!

I say none of this to boast—though I admit to being more than a little chuffed—and none of this is an excuse for smugness or for taking our foot off the evangelisation accelerator. My point is to highlight how quickly things can turn around, how a spiritual winter can thaw into spring. Easter people always expect resurrection.As G.K. Chesterton famously claimed, “Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”[23]

Only a few years ago, in 2017, the credibility of the Church was in tatters after the sexual abuse Royal Commission. Punitive measures followed, including removing protections for the seal of confession in all jurisdictions except NSW. In the same year, marriage was redefined in law, but the promised religious freedom protections never materialised. In 2018 Cardinal Pell was falsely convicted of abuse and imprisoned. In 2019 NSW adopted some of the world’s worst abortion laws and, two years later, euthanasia laws that would make even the People’s Republic of Victoria blush. That these measures coincided with the Church’s decline in public respect was no coincidence. Church leaders were silenced, the faithful demoralised, and the radicals saw their chance. Meanwhile, the long march of secularism through the institutions continued. These have been very tough times for believers.

Yet against that backdrop we witness our “second spring”. It might be too early to declare winter “now past”. But “flowers have appeared in our land”. There are signs of hope!

IV. Christian Hope

Years ago, I was asked by the great Australian social commentator, B.A. Santamaria, why I remained so optimistic about the Church and nation. I said it was partly a matter of temperament, partly how I read the evidence, and partly theological hope. He responded that his temperament was obviously very different, how he read the evidence also, and as for theological hope, all that promises is that things will be alright in the end: they can get very bad in the meantime!

He was right, of course, and it can be galling for those who are suffering or troubled by the way things are trending, to be told to “cheer up” by a rosy-eyed cleric. Theological hope must be more than sunniness. But it must also be about more than just how things will turn out in the end. So, a few last thoughts on hope.

Since the year 1300 the Church has celebrated jubilee years of Christ’s birth, involving pilgrimages to Roman basilicas with ‘holy doors’, liturgies, indulgenced works, and exhortations to forgiveness and holiness.[24] In subsequent centuries the gap between holy years was reduced from 100 years to 50, to 33, then 25 years, so more people would have a chance.[25] There have also been some ‘extraordinary jubilees’, as I expect there will be in 2033.[26] Some are themed:[27] Pope Francis named this a Jubilee Year of Hope.

In his encyclical Spes Salvi,[28] Pope Benedict XIV unpacked how this theological virtue plays out in our lives. Hope is not just wishful thinking, it’s a game-changer. Not just a sentiment, but something performative. “The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open,” the Pope said, “The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life”.[29] Rather than avoiding suffering, Christian hope acknowledges it; rather than wallowing in suffering, it transforms it. By drawing the future into the present,[30] it gives our relationships and decisions purpose; by uniting our challenges to Christ’s Passion we are consoled and given confidence.[31] It’s not just that misery loves company: Christ’s solidarity with us gives us reason and courage to persevere.

What’s more, Benedict observed, we yearn for an afterlife of “plunging into the ocean of infinite love… plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy”.[32] The promise of that “blessed life”, beyond time and space, human weakness and mortality, anchors our endurance here and now.

Pope Francis echoed these thoughts in the Bull of Indiction for this Jubilee Year. Hope, he wrote, is “the constant companion guiding our steps towards encounter with the Lord,” illuminating the intellect with His plans and warming the heart with His joy.[33] It’s a gift that does not disappoint; it endures (alongside faith and love) when all else is stripped away.[34]

None of which immunises us individually or as a Church from ordinary human challenges. Following Christ may even multiply our difficulties, as Jesus and Paul foretold.[35] Christians are the most persecuted group on earth today, with approximately 380 million suffering serious persecution and discrimination for their faith.[36] Only hope enables them to endure…  

Conclusion

“Always be ready to give an account of the reasons for your hope,” the first pope, Peter, said (1Pet 3:15). Rediscover in the stories of Jesus “how God acts in history”, the latest pope, Leo, said.[37] Recalling van Gogh’s painting, The Sower at Sunset, he observes that “behind the sower, the grain is already ripe”, reflecting our hope that, despite all, the Gospel bears fruit. At the centre of the painting is not the sower-evangelist-Church, but the sun, God Himself, the One who drives history and is the real cause of hope. As another Pope—Alexander Pope—said:

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never Is, but always To be blest.

The soul, uneasy, and confin’d from home,

rests and expatiates in a life to come.^[38]

After winter comes springtime for the Church.

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[1] St John Henry Newman, ‘The Second Spring’ (1852), Sermons Preached on Various Occasions, Sermon 10 https://www.newmanreader.org/works/occasions/sermon10.html, p. 164: “We mourn over the blossoms of May, because they are to wither; but we know, withal, that May is one day to have its revenge upon November, by the revolution of that solemn circle which never stops—which teaches us in our height of hope, ever to be sober, and in our depth of desolation, never to despair.” Commentators on Second Spring include: Ian Ker, John Henry Newman: A Biography (OUP, 2010), pp. 381-2.

[2] Newman, ‘Second Spring’, pp. 165-66: “that which ought to come to nought, endures; that which promises a future, disappoints and is no more… Man rises to fall: he tends to dissolution from the moment he begins to be… How beautiful is the human heart, when it puts forth its first leaves… fairer far, in its green foliage and bright blossoms, is natural virtue. It blooms in the young, like some rich flower, so delicate, so fragrant, and so dazzling. Generosity and lightness of heart and amiableness, the confiding spirit, the gentle temper, the elastic cheerfulness, the open hand, the pure affection, the noble aspiration, the heroic resolve, the romantic pursuit, the love in which self has no part… and yet, as night follows upon day, as decrepitude follows upon health, so surely are failure, and overthrow, and annihilation, the issue of this natural virtue, if time only be allowed to it to run its course… moroseness, and misanthropy, and selfishness, is the ordinary winter of that spring.”

[3] Newman, ‘Second Spring’, p. 170.

[4] Callum Brown, The Death of Christian Britain (Taylor & Francis, 2013); Stephen Bullivant, Mass Exodus: Catholic Disaffiliation in Britain and America since Vatican II (OUP, 2019); Ryan Burge, The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress, 2023); David Carlin, Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America (Sophia Institute, 2013); George Crawley, Demography, Culture, and the Decline of America’s Christian Denominations (Lexington Books, 2017); Paul Daley, ‘While secularism is growing in Australia, Anzac commemorations remain fervently Christian’, The Guardian 25 April 2025; Mary Eberstadt, How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory of Secularization (Templeton, 2013); John T. Elson, ‘Is God Dead?’ (actually ‘Toward a hidden God’), Time 8 April 1966; Genevieve Enright, ‘Less Christians but more religious groups, ABS finds’ The Australian 28 March 2024; Carol Glatz, ‘Statistics show a decline in baptisms, priests and religious’, Our Sunday Visitor 17 October 2024; David Goodhew, Growth and Decline in the Anglican Communion 1980 to the Present (Taylor & Francis, 2016); Crawford Gribben, The Rise and Fall of Christian Ireland (OUP, 2021); Ronald Inglehart, Religion’s Sudden Decline: What’s Causing it, and What Comes Next? (OUP, 2020); Paul Peterson (ed.), The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses (Routledge, 2018); Colin Standish and Russell Standish, Postmodernism and the Decline of Christianity (Hartland, 2007); Roy Williams, Post-God Nation? How Religion Fell Off the Radar in Australia (ABC Books, 2015).

[5] Newman, ‘Second Spring’, p. 177.

[6] Dyron Daughrity, Rising: The Amazing Story of Christianity’s Resurrection in the Global South (Augsburg Fortress, 2018); Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (OUP, 2011); Eric Metaxas, Is Atheism Dead? (Skyhorse, 2021); John Micklethwait, God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World (Penguin, 2011); Glenn Stanton, The Myth of the Dying Church: How Christianity is Actually Thriving in America and the World (Hachette, 2019); John Stenhouse (ed.), Christianity, Modernity and Culture: New Perspectives on New Zealand History (ATF, 2005).

[7] Pew Research Center, ‘The Decline of Christianity in the U.S. has slowed and may be leveling off’, 26 February 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/.

[8] Jerry Prince, ‘God’s movement on college campuses: will the embers of revival spread?’ Decision, 1 February 2025. https://decisionmagazine.com/gods-movement-on-college-campuses/

[9] Matthew McDonald, “Eucharist, unity, clarity: what attracts converts to the Catholic Church?” National Catholic Register, 14 April 2025: in the case of Diocese of Fort Worth Texas over a remarkable 72% surge this year.

[10] Maria Moriarty, ‘Los Angeles archdioceses reports highest number of Easter converts in 10 years’, National Catholic Register 23 April 2025.

[11] Lydia Poe, ‘Notre Dame sees record surge in OCIA participants’, The Irish Rover 26 March 2025.

[12] On these recent converts or reverts:

• Leah Remini: Kathy Dowd, ‘Leah Remini on embracing Catholicism after Scientology; To me it’s what religion is supposed to be’, People 4 November 2015.
• Shia LaBeouf: Luis Henao, ‘Shia LaBeouf converts to Catholicism after being confirmed at New Year’s Eve Mass’, 6 January 2024.
• Carrie Underwood: Kristyn Burtt, ‘Carrie Underwood’s American Idol influence sparks backstage buzz’, Entertainment 22 April 2025.
• Grimes: Jeremiah Wright, ‘Why Grimes is turning to Christianity to help her stop smoking’, Woman Alive 31 December 2024.
• Russell Brand: Theo Hobson, ‘The unlikely Christian conversion of Russell Brand’, The Spectator 9 October 2024; Milton Quintanilla, ‘Russell Brand speaks on 3 months being Christian and the struggle of not hearing God’, Crosswalk 21 May 2025.
• Rob Schneider: Katie Yoder, ‘Rob Schneider opens up about his Catholic conversion and life of faith’, Catholic Review 6 January 2024.
• Ayaan Hirsi Ali: ‘Why I am now a Christian: Atheism can’t equip is for civilizational war’, UnHerd.com 11 November 2023.
•  
• Candace Owens: Nate Tinner-Williams, ‘Candace Owens converts to Catholicism’, National Catholic Reporter 23 April 2024.
• Niall Ferguson: https://x.com/nfergus/status/1870391937334726934; Phil Mitchell, “An unexpected conversion: An atheist comes to Christ’, 401^st Prophet 1 February 2025.
• Dominique Dawes: Carole Greene, ‘Dominique Dawes, Olympian and Catholic convert, delivers powerful message at WOW Festival baltimore’, Catholic Review 7 April 2025.
• Clay Dimmick: SueAnn Howell, ‘Catholic convert-soccer star glorifies God and scores one for moms and babies’, National Catholic Register 3 April 2024.
• Gordon Hayward: NBA star Gordon Hayward joins the Catholic church in a Rome ceremony’, EWTN News Nightly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvxPJaazQ90
• Mia: Darren Ally, ‘Go, Team Jesus! Indonesian badminton hopeful Mia joins the Church’, Catholic Weekly 14 August 2024.

Other celebrities who have recently been public about their conversion or reversion to Christianity/Catholicism include:

• Chuck Norris: ‘Is Chuck Norris a Christian? His faith and background’, GodTube.com 3 June 2022.
• Stephen Baldwin: ‘Actor Stephen Baldwin shares how he first encountered Christ’, MovieGuide https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/actor-stephen-baldwin-shares-how-he-first-encountered-christ.html
• Denzel Washington: Tim Bechervaise, ‘Even in the darkest stories, I’m looking for light: The Christian faith of Denzel Washington’, Christianity 27 November 2024.
• Martin Sheen: Ryan Pemberton, ‘Why Martin Sheen returned to Ctaholicism’, Sojourners 23 June 2021.
• Gary Busey: Aimee Ferrier, ‘When Gary Busey ground production to a halt for spiritual reasons’, Far Out Magazine 14 July 2023.
• Tom Hanks: Lesli White, ‘How Tom Hanks found God’, Beliefnet.com May 2018.
• Kirk Cameron: ‘How Kirk Cameron came to Christ: My most important decision’, MovieGuide 28 March 2023.
• Mark Wahlberg: Tess Farrand, ‘Mark Wahlberg on being a Christian in Hollywood: I will not hide the fact that I love the Lord’, MovieGuide https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/popular-articles/mark-wahlberg-on-being-a-christian-in-hollywood-i-will-not-hide-the-fact-that-i-love-the-lord.html
• Tyler Perry: ‘Is Tyler Perry a Christian?’ ChurchLeaders.com 16 February 2024.
• Alice Cooper: Andrew Denton interview with Alice Cooper, Enough Rope, ABC Radio 18 January 2012.
• Andrew Huberman: Michael Ashcraft, ‘Stanford neuroscientist affirms faith in God’, God Reports 28 November 2023.
• Darell Miller: Matt Vennet, ‘Famous athletes who were/are outspoken about their Catholic faith’, Epic Pew https://epicpew.com/famous-athletes-wereare-outspoken-catholic-faith/
• Wesley Sneijder: ‘Dutch soccer player who scored winning goal against Brazil is Catholic convert’, Catholic News Agency 6 July 2010.

[13] Flirting with Christianity:

• Jordan Peterson: Brad East, ‘Jordan Peterson loves God’s Word. But what about God?’ Christianity Today 19 November 2024.
• Richard Dawkins: Bill Muehlenberg, ‘Atheism, civil religion and the fate of the West’, Culture Watch 2 April 2024;
• Tom Holland: Tom Holland, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World (Basic Books, 2021); Phil Mitchell, ‘Tom Holland on Why I changed my mind about Christianity’, 401^st Prophet Blog 27 January 2024; Amy Mantravadi, ‘An interview with Tom Holland about cultural Christianity’, 1517.org 19 February 2025.
• Nick Cave: ‘Nick Cave, Christianity and the search for meaning’, The Guardian 21 September 2024.
• Elon Musk: Simon McCarthy-Jones, ‘Elon Musk says he’s a ‘Cultural Christian”—why some leading thinkers are embracing Christianity’, Trinity College Dublin News 26 July 2024.

[14] Tony Davenport, ‘Year of celebrity conversions’, Vision Christian Media 5 September 2024; Katherine Brown, ‘Converted celebrities are making it easier to talk about Jesus in casual conversation’, Christian Daily 16 January 2025.

[15] E.g. most recently: Denis Alexander & Alister McGrath (eds), Coming to Faith through Dawkins: 12 Essays on the Pathway from New Atheism to Christianity (Kregel, 2023); Justin Brierly, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God (Tyndale Elevate, 2023), ‘A Christian revival is under way in Britain’, Spectator 30 March 2024, and Why I’m Still a Christian: After Two Decades of Conversations with Skeptics and Atheists (Tyndale Elevate, 2025); Ross Douthat, Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious (Zondervan, 2025); Madeleine Davies, ‘The rise of cultural Christianity: Why religion is thriving in a non-believing age’, New Stateman 21 August 2024; Rod Dreher, Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age (Zondervan, 2024); Matthew Metaxas, Is Atheism Dead? (Salem Books, 2021); Joseph Ramos, Belief or Unbelief: The Mystery of God in the Light of Reason (Wipf & Stock, 2023); Greg Sheridan, Christians: The Urgent Case for Jesus in our World (Allen & Unwin, 2022).

Earlier: Norman Geisler and Frank Turek , I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist (Crossway, 2004); John Haught, God and the New Atheism (Westminster John Knox Press, 2008); Chris Hedges, I Don’t Believe in Atheists (Free Press, 2008); Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Penguin, 2009); John Lennox, Gunning for God: Why the New Atheists are Missing the Target (Lion Hudson, 2011) and Can Science Explain Everything? (Good Book, 2019); Alister McGrath and Joanna McGrath, The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine (SPCK, 2007); John Scott, Why I am a Christian (IVP, 2014); Timothy Radcliffe, What is the Point of Being a Christian? (Burns & Oates, 2005); Jonathan Sacks, The Great Partnership: Science, Religion and the Search for Meaning (Schocken, 2012); Greg Sheridan, God is Good for You: A Defense of Christianity in Troubled Times (Allen & Unwin, 2019); David Wolpe, Why Faith Matters (HarperOne, 2009).

[16] Bible Society, The Quiet Revival: Gen Z Leads Rise in Church Attendance (Bible Society, 2025).

[17] ‘Easter baptisms: British dioceses reach surprisingly high percentages, especially of young males’, Zenit 20 April 2025; Thomas Edwards, ‘Young men lead the way as adult baptisms in UK surge this Easter’, Catholic Herald 14 April 2025; Catherine Pepinster, ‘The extraordinary resurgence of the Catholic faith in Britain’, The Telegraph 13 April 2025.

[18] ‘Archbishop Farrell: in 2025 Dublin has the largest group ever seeking adult baptism’, Irish Catholic Bishops Conference 12 May 2025.

[19] Kaya Burgess, ‘Catholics outnumber Anglicans among Gen Z Churchgoers’, The Times 17 April 2025; Jonah McKeown, ‘Catholics now outnumber Anglicans among Gen Z in the UK, study suggests’, Catholic News Agency, 8 April 2025; Heather Tomlinson, ‘Surge in adults entering Church in England this Easter prompted by internet, tradition’, Catholic News Agency 14 April 2025.

[20] Solène Tadié, ‘France Sees Record 10,384 Adult Baptisms in 2025 — 45 Percent Increase as Young Catholics Lead Revival’, Catholic News Agency, April 14, 2025; Tom Heneghan & Bess Twiston Davies, ‘French Church ponders response to record Easter baptisms’, The Tablet 17 April 2025; Luke Coppen and Brendan Hodge, ‘Belgium: Mass attendance rises almost 4% in a year’, The Pillar 28 May 2025.

[21] Luke Coppen, ‘Adult baptisms: What’s driving the rise?’ The Pillar 17 April 2025; Christopher Kaczor, ‘Why are so many young adults becoming Catholic?’ Word on Fire, 7 May 2025; Natasha Moore, ‘It’s suddenly become trendy to be a Christian—as a Christian, should I find this cheering or chilling?’ ABC Religion & Ethics, 17 April 2025; Greg Sheridan, ‘The most extraordinary thing about this Easter? The surge towards Christianity’, The Australian 20 April 2025.

[22] Hannah Felsbourg, ‘Hidden undercurrent of Australians turn to Christianity’, Melbourne Anglican, 14 April 2025.

[23] G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1925), 276.

[24] Established by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300.

[25] In 1343 Pope Clement VI resolved to reduce the gap to 50 years; in 1389 Pope Urban VI to every 33 years; and in 1470 Pope Paul II to every 25 years, at which interval they have been celebrated ever since 1475. The Napoleonic wars prevented the celebrations in 1800 and the situation in Europe after the 1848 year of revolutions prevented one being held in 1850. The jubilees were resumed at 25-year-intervals from 1875, though the occupation of Rome by the troops of Victor Emmanuel II precluded the opening and closing of the Holy Door. https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025/giubilei-nella-storia.html

[26] E.g. Pius XI proclaimed the 1900^th anniversary of redemption a holy year in 1933; St John Paul II proclaimed a jubilee for the 1950^th anniversary of the redemption in 1983; Pope Francis held a ‘year of mercy’ in 2015.

[27] E.g. St Paul VI made 1975 a Jubilee Year of Reconciliation

[28] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi: Encyclical on Christian Hope (2007). For a summary: https://prodigalcatholic.com/2021/12/07/summary-of-spes-salvi-by-pope-benedict-xvi/

[29] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi #2.

[30] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi #7.

[31] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi #37.

[32] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi #12.

[33] Pope Francis, Spes non confundit: Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, 9 May 2024, 5 & 8.

[34] Hope is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:13), that endures with faith and love when all else is stripped away (1Cor 13:13; 2Cor 4:18; Heb 11:1), illuminating the mind with God’s plans for us (Jer 29:11), giving us confidence (Isa 40:31; Ps 62:5-6; Lam 3:21-23; Phil 1:6), patience (Mic 7:7; Rom 5:3-4; 8:24-25), peace of mind (Rom 15:13) and spiritual joy (Rom 15:13; Rev 21:4).

[35] Mt 5:10-12; 10:22; Lk 6:22-23; Jn 15:18-20; 16:33;  Rom 5:3-5; Col 1:24; Phil 3:10-11;  2Cor 6:3-10 etc.

[36] Open Doors, World Watch List 2025 https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/; Aid to the Church in Need, Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith 2020-2022 (2022)  https://www.churchinneed.org/report-on-persecution/

[37] Pope Leo XIV, General Audience, 21 May 2025.

[38] Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man (1733-34).