English diocese responds to rising conversions with evidence-based faith training

Jan 9, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A diocese in England and Wales has launched a pioneering apologetics project aimed at empowering Catholics to talk more authoritatively about their faith.

The project, titled “Ambassadors for Christ,” is a fresh approach to apologetics in England and Wales and takes an evidence-based approach to the big questions surrounding the Catholic faith.

In a Jan. 5 statement, the Archdiocese of Southwark explained that it has launched the project in response to the rise in people joining the Catholic Church.

“As more people become interested in the faith, practicing Catholics are experiencing more questions from their family, friends, and colleagues but often remain unsure where to look for evidence-based answers,” the statement said.

“These can range from fundamental questions like ‘Is Jesus really God?’ or ‘How do we know God is real?’ to more practical questions about the Catholic faith, such as ‘Why do Catholics make the sign of the cross?’ or ‘What is happening during Mass?’”

In the same press statement, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark said: “As someone who converted to Catholicism as a teenager myself, I know what it is like to search for answers, to thirst for the truth, which only the Lord Jesus offers. Every day, people are searching for the same answers I did, thirsting for the truth I found, and it is our job to guide them on the right path.”

“As Catholics, leading people to Christ has to be at the heart of everything we do, because it is the Lord Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life,” he continued. “It is the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus, where people will find the answers to their burning questions, where their thirst for truth will be sated.”

“As the archbishop of the diocese, I am responsible for catechesis and ensuring the faithful know and understand their faith. That’s why this project goes beyond providing answers; it is about building ambassadors for Christ in our parishes and schools.”

“I want the faithful — from converts to cradle Catholics — to feel confident and assured of their faith, so that when they are asked the reason for the hope within them, they can confidently speak of the Lord Jesus and his saving work,” he said.

The course is made up of 52 videos, which will be released each Monday on YouTube throughout 2026 and each topic is presented by a Catholic priest.

According to the Jan. 5 statement from the archdiocese, each video has been thoroughly checked by theologians to ensure accuracy and fidelity to Church teaching.

Father Dermott O’Gorman, the director of youth for the Archdiocese of Southwark, said: “We are often told that young people are not interested in religion or that they don’t care about God. But this could not be further from the truth. In a world where they feel disillusioned and lost, our young people are searching for meaning.”

He added: “The Church needs to meet them where they are, and that is what we’re doing with ‘Ambassadors for Christ.’ By providing engaging content that directly answers their questions, we hope to help them discover meaning and purpose that can be found only in Jesus Christ and his Church.”

Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion, welcomed the new initiative.

In an email to CNA on Jan. 9 commenting more generally on why Catholic congregations are growing in England and Wales, he said: “It’s hard to know the full reasons for the new growth we’re seeing, but there certainly does seem to a new cultural mood around Christianity.”

“Feasibly, we’ve also hit a point, after decades of secularization, where a kind of ‘herd immunity’ to ever taking faith seriously — a resistance built up from lots of weak or dead strains of cultural Christianity — has now worn off,” he continued. “So for the youngest generations, who have not been raised even ‘nominally’ Church of England or Catholic, it’s now possible to encounter Christianity as something genuinely new, intriguing, and perhaps exciting.”

This story was updated at 9:22 a.m. ET on Jan. 9, 2026, with the comments from Stephen Bullivant.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/268967/english-diocese-responds-to-rising-conversions-with-evidence-based-faith-training