Flame, the large national Catholic bi-annual youth gathering organised by the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation (CYMFed), was held on 15 March. 10,800 young people and adult leaders gathered at the Ovo Wembley Arena for Flame 2025, the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle taking up almost 1,000 seats.
Bear Grylls was the keynote speaker. He spoke of his own Christian faith and told the young people, “Faith is in your heart, faith is in relationships, faith is a constant connection to the Almighty. I have many struggles, many doubts, I really don’t have it all together, but I know that I am loved and held, and the light shines.”
It was wonderful to have the SVP also represented on stage by two Young adult members. Jasmine and Tommy told all present of the incredible army of SVP members and volunteers who want to turn the concern they have for members of their local communities into action and that the SVP is an organisation who supports people through simple acts of care and kindness. They also spoke of the 8,500 young people in England and Wales who are Mini Vinnies, Youth SVP or SVP1833, and that they, along with adult SVP members, bring truly unstoppable hope to those in need through prayer, help and support.
Helping others to overcome hardship, inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, was a key theme raised by another speaker. Nathan, the manager of the Ely Bridge SVP Centre in Cardiff, who spoke of the impact a non-judgemental open door can have, quoting Saint Vincent de Paul, “Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances.”
He spoke of his own past mistakes and of the SVP’s work in supporting ex-prisoners, urging young people to recognise that, despite any mistakes they might make, with God there is always a way back. Nathan asked everyone to soak in the message that they were lovable, that they were worthy of being loved, that they were loved by God and that nothing can separate them from the love of God.
The SVP ambassadors left everyone in the arena with one final call to action; to make a commitment together to stop judging people by their mistakes and to see the good in each other. The spreading of God’s light and of unstoppable hope was then illustrated as young people used the lights on their mobile phones to illuminate the arena. They were told what an amazing symbol of hope they are and were invited to take that back to their communities.
