What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? James 2:14

Since 2019, the national God Who Speaks committee has developed its remit substantially but there is a way to go to fully embed Scripture in dioceses across England and Wales.

The wider Biblical apostolate which puts Scripture at the heart of discipleship is a gospel imperative for everyone, and no one should be excluded. Our God who Speaks branding and platform are a central resource from which to help more Catholics engage with the Bible more deeply, and we continue to seek new partnerships and ways to share the Good News.

Our website has continued to create new monthly content, commissioned new writers and topics, and responded to queries on many biblical issues. With an increasingly global following, our website and social media communities enable us to grow in our digital evangelisation and Biblical outreach.

We have created and delivered a huge range of events, courses, articles, talks, conferences, videos, podcasts, seasonal resources and activity challenges across the dioceses.

After taking the commissioned artwork by Pete Codling – ‘Little Bits of God’ – on tour around dioceses we secured its permanent home in Sacred Heart Church, Battersea. We made several interactive videos of the artist and artwork available on this website.

We have partnered with ecumenical and interfaith networks to ensure visibility across different faith communities and beliefs, such as with Parliament, the Society of St Gregory, Art & Christianity, and various educational, art-based and disability networks and hubs.

We are committed to an arts-based approach to Bible engagement, to developing our resources for neurodiverse communities and to fostering deeper Scriptural engagement with key social justice issues.

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4

Many dioceses, Catholic networks and organisations have independently implemented a vast range of Scriptural activities, events, training sessions and resources under the God who Speaks branding. We want to continue to encourage these initiatives and welcome feedback from as many places as possible to ensure greater effectiveness in our support.

The biggest and most consistent output across England and Wales has come from Catholic schools (mainly primary schools) who continue to be our most engaged stakeholders.

While COVID has changed the way we participate in everyday life, including Church, it has provided new online opportunities to reach more people worldwide. In response to COVID we wrote a Biblical resource to help people pray and engage with Scripture in their homes and for those who are regularly housebound – ‘Room for God: At home with the sacred’. Nevertheless, in person rather than virtual engagement remains central to our mission.

We have continued to partner with Bible Society as our key funder, and this has included leading or contributing to events, creating online and print-based Bible resources, and relationship-building between Bible Society and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Pope Francis’ global Synod has instigated new ways of being Church that are still being explored and discovered, and which may influence our mission over the next few years.

The Catholic Biblical Apostolate is at a unique point in our journey since:
1) Our brand is better known but there are many stakeholders who are yet to know of us.
2) There is a growing hunger for accessible Scripture resources in the UK and worldwide.
3) We are further embedding the Biblical Apostolate into the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
4) The new Lectionary provides exciting opportunities for creative Scriptural engagement.
5) Pope Francis instituted the ‘Sunday of the Word of God’ in 2020.
6) We are interdisciplinary in our approach and reach (through the arts, environment, law, philosophy, science, social justice and well-being).

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”. John 15:5

We want to continue to do the following to enrich our Catholic Biblical Apostolate:
Pray and reflect daily.
Enable more people to encounter Christ through the Scriptures.
Help to break down barriers to deeper Bible engagement.
Articulate our faith through biblical, spiritual, catechetical and theological reflection.
Serve, support and offer Biblical perspectives on national Bishops’ Conference work.
Celebrate the ‘Sunday of the Word of God’ every January (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time).
Model creative and inclusive engagement across all dioceses.
Build partnerships across ecumenical and inter-faith channels.
Develop our relationship with Catholic schools and benefit from their expertise.
Develop our partnership with Bible Society to increase our mutual biblical reach.
Liaise with the Catholic Biblical Federation as an international information provider.
Keep up to date with and disseminate Vatican developments and writings on Scripture.

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