Nottingham Cathedral was alive with joy this Easter Weekend.
As the Easter Vigil began in darkness, hundreds gathered to witness one of the most sacred moments in the Church's liturgical year and, one of the most historic nights for the Diocese of Nottingham in four decades.
Bishop Patrick received 35 new members into the Catholic Church at Nottingham Cathedral, part of a remarkable 249 people welcomed across the Diocese in 2026 - the highest number in 40 years.
The energy in the Cathedral was palpable: candles flickered in the darkness, voices rose in ancient hymns, and faces, many of them young, shone with anticipation and hope.
Among the 35 received at the Cathedral were faces radiant with joy and hearts overflowing with gratitude. One woman, moments after her Confirmation, was visibly moved to tears: overwhelmed, she said, by the simple truth that God loves her. For her and the others received last night, this wasn’t just a ceremony; it was the moment when everything changed. Choosing Christ transforms everything. Easter is not just a celebration it’s the beginning of a new life, and last night, 35 people at the Cathedral stepped into that new life with courage, hope, and profound joy.
‘I think it's a very real sign that the mission in the diocese is taking effect,’ Bishop Patrick reflected after the Vigil. ‘People from all ages have been baptized and received, it was just a wonderful occasion.’
These 249 new Catholics are a living answer to Christ’s call to ‘go and make disciples.’ Each one represents a story of encounter, invitation, and accompaniment. Someone shared their faith. Someone walked alongside them. Someone prayed. And now, they themselves are sent to do the same.
The Bishop noted that the celebration gave ‘new heart to those who were there, who were already baptised and confirmed. I think that always happens in parishes that receive people, that baptise them. It just reminds us that the church, our parish, our diocese is growing.’
In a culture of declining numbers and practice, last night told a different story. ‘There's a lot of talk about decline,’ Bishop Patrick observed, ‘but we’re seeing quite a number of young people- and people of all ages- coming and wanting to be baptised, wanting to learn more about Catholicism.’ Some, he noted, had been baptised but ‘never took seriously the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation.’
What particularly moved the Bishop was the number baptised: ‘Seventeen- that’s a big number. And the joy on their faces... they were just so joyful, so pleased to be baptised, to be confirmed, to be welcomed into the Catholic Church.’ The celebration, he shared, went on until midnight.
The Cathedral was packed. Families, sponsors, friends, and parishioners filled every corner, their presence a reminder that no one enters the Church alone. We are, as St. Paul reminds us, one body and, last night, that body grew stronger and more vibrant.
‘Now the challenge,’ Bishop Patrick reflected, ‘is to continue helping them to feel welcome, walking with them in every parish and here at the Cathedral.’
As dawn breaks on Easter Sunday, we celebrate not only the Resurrection of Christ but the resurrection of 249 lives transformed by His love. Their witness challenges and inspires us: if they can say yes to Christ, so can we. If they can take the leap of faith, so can those we know who are searching.
Let us pray for these new Catholics as they begin their journey. Let us thank God for their courage. And let us commit ourselves to walking with them: accompanying, welcoming, and helping them grow in faith.
Christ is risen. The mission continues. And the Church is alive.
Happy Easter from all of us at the Diocese of Nottingham. He is risen indeed!
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