Evangelii Gaudium Sunday, the day we celebrate the domestic mission work of the Catholic Church, falls on 21 September 2025. It’s theme is ‘I believe…’ inspired by the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea – the great gathering of Bishops from around the world that formulated the Creed we proclaim every Sunday at Mass.
In a video interview, Bishop David Oakley, our Lead for Evangelisation and Discipleship, spoke to us about the Creed, why the Church offers an attractive space for young people seeking Jesus, and why it’s vitally important we confidently share our faith with others.
Surveys conducted in 2025 have suggested a ‘quiet revival’ in England and Wales, with more and more Gen Z-ers and Millennials attending Church. Bishop Oakley believes young people are drawn to the Catholic Church looking for certainty and answers:
“There are many young people now who are asking questions. They’re not just intellectual questions that can be asked, as it were, at arm’s length. They are really seeking to understand in a deep and meaningful way what this encounter with God means for them in their lives.
“Now, there is a certain ‘certainty’, if one can put it that way. St. Teresa of Ávila says we have to have a determined determination to be disciples of Jesus.”
He added:
“Through the sacraments and through the ways in which we experience Church, often taking it for granted if we’ve been part of the Church since we were young, it’s difficult for us to appreciate that somebody who feels somewhat lost and confused in our world today might be looking for that certainty.”
Bishop David Oakley said that even though statistics in England and Wales don’t always look great for Christian practice, there is hope for mission.
He said:
“Even though we live in a secular society, and even though the statistics don’t always look very favourable towards Christian practice, there’s a very real sense in which every human being is longing and yearning for life with God. That’s what we were created by Him for.”
Bishop Oakley also explained the importance of this year’s theme for Evangelii Gaudium Sunday – ‘I believe…’. He said:
“When we say, ‘I believe’, we are bringing the whole of our being – body, mind, and spirit – to this moment within the Eucharistic celebration. It’s very important for us to remember that we profess our faith in the Nicene Creed or the Apostles’ Creed during the celebration of Mass.
“We don’t just do it as individuals. We are praying together as a community. We are really saying, ‘I believe, I pledge my truth, I am going to put my whole being into this reality of faith in these mysteries that God has revealed to us’.”
He explained that this belief begins with our baptism when we are made partakers in the Church’s mission, but from then on, our faith goes through a journey of maturation and evolution. Bishop Oakley said:
“I’m sure that being a partaker in the Church’s mission wasn’t on my mind when I was baptised. So we have to grow into that. We are each a pilgrim of hope – especially this year when we are celebrating the Jubilee of Hope.
“But we are pilgrims of hope into a mature faith, witnessing to the mysteries of faith in our lives. We do that within the community of faith, but beyond that. ‘Ite missa est’, those final words when the priest tells us to go, the Mass has ended, and live out that faith.
“We do that within our families, within our communities, in the supermarket, at school, wherever it is that we encounter others. We are called to be witnesses to our Catholic faith in all these settings.”
You can watch Bishop Oakley’s full interview at the top of this page, where it is embedded, or on YouTube.
Visit our Evangelii Gaudium Sunday section for more resources.
