Major Scottish Catholic Conference to take place at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall

Aid to the Church in Need will organise the biggest event for the Church in Scotland this year as they bring international speakers to Scotland, including a Bishop from the Holy Land.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) have this week launched tickets for one of the biggest events for Catholics in Scotland in 2025 – Courage to be Catholic Conference – which will feature dynamic speakers including a bishop from the Holy Land, a bishop from Nigeria and the head of Divine Renovation UK.

The groundbreaking event will be held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on Saturday March 29 and feature Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, who will share what life is like for the suffering of Christians in the Holy Land along with a message from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Diocese of Makurdi, Nigeria will give testimony to the persecution of Christians in one of the fastest growing Catholic countries in the world. Dr Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, Executive Director of Global Mission Divine Renovation UK, will deliver a talk entitled ‘Why Catholics leave and how they might return’ highlighting the need for evangelisation.

ACN’s focus for the conference is to foster a spirit of collaboration amongst different Church organisations, agencies and charities. They also want the conference to provide a platform for the laity to live their faith more boldly in today’s world and support one another in their faith journey as the Church celebrates a Jubilee Year of Hope.

William More, Manager of Operations for Aid to the Church in Need Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the first ever ACN Conference in Scotland and we believe it to be the first of its kind for the Church here.

“It’s exciting to be able to bring such inspiring and varied speakers to Scotland and we believe this is a fantastic opportunity for the laity and Church to come together.

“We want our conference to be a platform for the Church community to build a stronger, more vibrant Catholic faithful and we want to reach out the hand of friendship to those who might feel isolated or downbeat about the Church getting smaller in our country.

“But it’s also a chance to for us to share some of our great work around the world which brings spiritual and practical help to Christians – especially those who are persecuted for their beliefs.”

A panel discussion will also take place at the conference, giving participants a chance to ask important questions and will feature the ACN UK Director Caroline Hull and ACN Head of Press and Public Affairs, John Pontifex.

Tickets can be purchased via TryBooking and ACN has launched an early bird offer until Monday 10 February priced at £25 Concession and £30 Adult. Thereafter, £30 Concession and £35 Adult and tea, coffee and lunch will be included for all attendees. The event will run from 9.30am to 4pm and Mass will be celebrated at 5pm in St Aloyisus’ Church, Glasgow.

Additionally, ACN are offering a special group rate for parishes wishing to attend together. This will help make the conference more accessible for larger groups of parishioners from parishes who are keen to attend the event. For more information, please contact the ACN Scotland office by calling 01698 337 470.