Anecdotal evidence from up and down the country has suggested that this Easter saw a bumper rise in church attendance. As Jesus himself once said, the fields are ripe for harvest, but the workers are few.
Winchester Cathedral appears to have been no exception to the apparent trend and has even provided some stats indicating that this year’s Easter celebrations really where fruitful.
During Holy Week and Easter, Winchester Cathedral said it had welcomed thousands of people through its doors to worship God at a host of events, including Organ Meditations, Tenebrae, Compline, the Washing of Feet on Maundy Thursday, the Three Hours on Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and finally culminating in Easter Day.
The Cathedral recorded a 13% rise in communicant numbers across the Triduum and Easter day, compared with 2024. Attendance at the 3 Hours service rose by 4%, while 31% more people than last year went to the Easter Vigil, and the Diocesan Chrism saw a whopping 69% rise in numbers.
Canon Dr Roland Riem, Interim Dean of Winchester Cathedral commented, “We rejoice that so many wished to engage with the Cathedral’s worship over Lent and Holy Week, whether in person or online.”
Winchester’s experience echoes that of other denominations and churches around the country.
Recent research conducted by the Bible Society has indicated that a “quiet revival” is taking place in Great Britain, driven by young people and especially young men showing a greater interest in religion.
In the Catholic Church, Cardinal Vincent Nichols spoke of huge numbers attending Easter events at the nation’s most prominent Catholic cathedral: “In this last week, there have probably been 50,000 people in and out of Westminster Cathedral.”
"For the 12 o’clock [Easter Sunday] Mass, people were queuing down Ambrose Avenue in order to come in as soon as the previous Mass had finished, to find a place.
“There were 200 people outside the door following it on their phones. So there’s, as they say, something going on – and that, too, we should ponder and pray about.”
According to the Bible Society, the percentage of adults attending church regularly has grown from 8% to 12%. While it may sound small, that represents an extra 2 million people going to church.
Among young people the numbers are even more dramatic. The percentage of 18 to 24-year-olds attending church has risen in the last six years from just 4% to 16%. Among young men the figure has actually gone up to 21%.
