A reflection and summary of the 2025 Forward in Faith Festival

The Director of Forward in Faith, Tom Middleson reflects on this year's festival:

The Forward in Faith National Festival 2025 was held at the church of St Alban, Holborn on Saturday 10th May. The day was a joyful celebration of the catholic faith we live out in the Church of England. The presence of young ordinands from St Stephen’s House, and of representatives from Fidelium – a network of Anglo-Catholic young adults in London, reminded us all that we are contending not just for our current place in the national church but also for our future place.

Proceedings began with a Solemn Mass celebrated by the Right Reverend Paul Thomas, the Bishop of Oswestry and Chairman of Forward in Faith, with seven Society bishops and approximately 150 in total in attendance. Splendid music, including pieces by Mozart, Weber and Smart, was provided by the organist and the choir.

The Right Reverend Jonathan Baker, the Bishop of Fulham and Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops, fresh back from his pilgrimage to Nicaea to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council held there and in the wake of the election of Pope Leo XIV, preached a scholarly and inspiring sermon which is available to read HERE.

After Mass, generous refreshments provided an opportunity for old friends to meet and for new acquaintances to be made. A stall staffed by volunteers from RooT - https://www.sswsh.com/RooT/ - acted as a reminder of the important witness provided by those Anglican religious in our tradition.

The afternoon session began with a video call with the Right Reverend Esther Prior, the Bishop of Aston. In that call, the Chairman and Director of Forward in Faith spoke to Bishop Esther about the very different place she inhabits in the Church of England as a leading evangelical and about her strong support for our 2014 settlement. The video is available to view HERE.

The meeting concluded with addresses from the officers of Forward in Faith – the Chairman, the Director, and the Treasurer. The Chairman spoke about the need for good governance in Anglo-Catholic charities, in the light of serious concerns raised about some of those charities in recent months.

The Director and Treasurer in their addresses emphasised the importance of attracting both new members and legacies in providing a healthy financial base on which the Charity can flourish. They also reinforced the Chairman’s message of giving priority to good governance. In the context of the latter, Forward in Faith’s Accounts for 2024 were posted on the Charity Commission website within three months of the year end – a very quick turnaround indeed and an aid to transparency. A refreshed Forward in Faith website is currently in preparation and will also help in providing clarity on the Charity’s activities.

The day concluded with Benediction, with pieces by Rossini, Mozart, Victoria, and Bach. It was a fitting act of devotion for a day of celebration of our faith. Our thanks go to all who helped in any way. We look forward to even more of our supporters attending in May 2026!

For those unable to be present in person, there follows some text on five key messages delivered at the Festival:

1. Our rootedness in what the Church has received and handed on. In his sermon at the Mass, Bishop Jonathan Baker said the following: “As we gather as Forward in Faith, in this Nicaea anniversary year, and in the springtime of the ministry of a freshly chosen successor of St Peter, we do so mindful that we come to renew our commitment to catholic life and catholic faith in our own church… We must go on repeating – because it some quarters it seems it is still not heard – that our convictions about the character of the ordained ministry of the Church flow from our rootedness in what the Church has received and handed on – Scriptures, creeds, ministry, each referenced in that great contemporary Church of England text, the Declaration of Assent.”

2. The value of something visible which points to the invisible. In her video call with the Chairman and Director of Forward in Faith, Bishop Esther Prior said the following: “You bring visibility. When people are searching, if they see something visible that points them to the invisible, that can be really helpful. As catholics, that can be the space you occupy with greater confidence.”

3. I am passionately for the Five Guiding Principles. In her video call with the Chairman and Director of Forward in Faith, Bishop Esther Prior said the following: “The word of encouragement is that I am passionately for the Five Guiding Principles and that is why I am here. I think the 2014 settlement worked really hard at acknowledging our differences and creating space for catholic expression of ministry which I hope will flourish within the structures of the Church of England… I could not be more committed to the 2014 settlement.”

4. Let our conviction be the only offence. In her video call with the Chairman and Director of Forward in Faith, Bishop Esther Prior said the following: “The challenge is to let our conviction be the only offence… Be known for your love... I should never ever have an encounter with a Society priest that leaves me feeling like you were unkind or unloving.”

5. The need for Anglo-Catholic charities to adopt the Nolan Principles. In his Chairman’s address, Bishop Paul Thomas called on all Anglo-Catholic charities to adopt the Nolan Principles and to conduct their business in accordance with them. This is exactly what Forward in Faith has done in the period since Bishop Paul became its Chairman in late 2023. The purpose of doing so is to aid good governance in a charity, which is especially important in the light of the serious concerns raised in recent months about the governance of some Anglo-Catholic charities. There are seven Nolan Principles of Public Life, and they are:

a) Selflessness

b) Integrity

c) Objectivity

d) Accountability

e) Openness

f) Honesty

g) Leadership.