The Liturgy
Encounter the Holy Spirit through the Liturgy
Encounter the Holy Spirit through the Liturgy
The Eucharist
At the heart of everything we do at CELEBRATE festival is the Eucharist. We are a Catholic community and the sacramental life of the Church is not an addition to the programme, it is the programme. Every teaching, every speaker, every moment of worship circles, flows from and returns to the Mass, Adoration, and the healing grace of Confession.
Daily Mass
Every day of the festival begins with Mass in the Big Top, celebrated together as a community, families, young adults, single people, grandparents, priests, and religious, all gathered together. Mass at CELEBRATE is full, sung, and beautiful with contemporary and traditional music woven together and celebrated with reverence and joy.
Saturday 15 August
For campers arriving on Friday, Mass will be available in the Abbey with the monks early on Saturday morning.
Sunday 16 August
Mass on the Lord's Day on The Feast of the Assumption
Monday 17 August
We are honoured to welcome Bishop Bosco MacDonald, who will celebrate Mass with us in the Big Top on Monday morning.
Tuesday 18 August
We are delighted to welcome Bishop Philip Egan to CELEBRATE for the first time. He will celebrate Mass for us on Tuesday morning. This is a special opportunity not to be missed.
Wednesday 19 August
The closing Mass said by Fr Emmanuel Mansford CFR will mark the 800 year anniversary of St Francis of Assisi. The festival ends with Eucharist, as it should.
What’s On
Youth Masses
Young adults and teens have their own Youth Masses celebrated in the intimate and beautiful setting of Worth Abbey with youth-focused worship, and preaching tailored for them:
Monday Youth Mass — Fr Paschal Uche
Fr Paschal Uche is energetic, theologically rich, and is gifted in directly addressing the young people gathered.
Tuesday Youth Mass — Fr Emmanuel Mansford CFR
Fr Emmanuel Mansford from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal celebrates Mass in a profoundly moving way for young Catholics.
Children’s Liturgy
All our Masses feature a dedicated children's liturgy for little ones aged 3 and up (with the exception of the final morning Mass). We know that young children experience and understand the Gospel differently, so our teams create space for them to hear the Gospel, reflect on it and pray in ways that are age-appropriate for them.
After their own sacred time with the Gospel reflection and prayer, children rejoin their families in time for the offertory, so they experience the fullness of Mass together with you, as they should. We believe children belong at the heart of Church life from the very beginning.
All-Night Adoration
We have a special night when we will be having an all-night vigil of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, where delegates are invited to come and simply be in the presence of Jesus for as long as you wish. THIS is the moment that will leave a light in you to carry home.
Daily Silent Adoration
Each day there will be dedicated time for silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Come for five minutes. Come for an hour. There is no agenda and no pressure, just you, Jesus present in the Sacrament, and the silence that is one of the rarest and most precious things in contemporary life. Many people say that Adoration is where they encounter Jesus most deeply during the whole festival.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Confession will be available at designated times throughout the festival in the Abbey. It doesn't matter if it has been a week or twenty years, He is waiting for you, and He will meet you exactly where you are. Come to receive the mercy and forgiveness of God, lay down what you have been carrying, and walk lighter into the rest of the week.
