After the recent Rite of Election at Leeds Cathedral on Sunday 22 February, our Diocese prepares to welcome a growing number of new Catholics who will be received into the Church this Easter!
Over the past few years, there has been a marked increase in catechumens, and this year, across 31 of our parishes and University Chaplaincies, those who attended the Rite of Election numbered 209: 104 of them seeking to be baptised and a further 105 to be received into full Communion with the Church. (Not all adults who are being prepared for Baptism and Confirmation in their own parishes are able to attend the Rite of Election, so the final figure is likely to be significantly higher.)
In the Cathedral Parish of Our Lady of Unfailing Help, the 52 people seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are predominantly young men in their early 20s to mid-30s. The Bishop’s new men’s group, The Oratory of St Joseph, has been founded for 21-35-year olds across both the Dioceses of Leeds and Middlesbrough.
The pattern of so many young adults across the Leeds Diocese and the number of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities, is also interesting. There are also several people identifying as ‘reverts’ – not in terms of having lapsed and returned themselves, but rather as those whose parents and grandparents had lapsed – and who are now, a generation or two later, re-discovering their family’s Catholic faith and heritage!
Our Diocesan Faith Formation Officer, Sophie Taylor, attended the Rite of Election and makes this report:
Rite of Election article 2026 - Sophie Taylor
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