The Mark 10 Mission had a momentous year in 2023, from attending World Youth Day in Lisbon and seeing numbers rocket, in terms of children and schools taking part in their popular liturgies. But with further exposure on Shalom World TV in the offing, and plans for secondary schools, the Catholic charity is not resting on its laurels, and is stepping into 2024 with faith and confidence.
Leading over a hundred thousand children in praying the Rosary and recording with the BBC at World Youth Day were just some of the highlights of yet another momentous year for The Mark 10 Mission in 2023.
The Catholic charity, formed during the pandemic with a simple desire to lead children to Jesus, now shares the Gospel with tens of thousands of school children online each week.
The sheer volume of quality content produced by The Mark 10 Mission has meant they have swiftly become one of the most prominent groups in Catholic education across the UK. In 2023 alone, they crafted 86 videos sharing the Sunday Gospel. But it has not just been videos that the Leeds-based charity have been producing. In June, they hosted their inaugural ‘Encounter Conference’ at their offices at Hinsley Hall. The day focused on helping schools become ‘places where children meet with Jesus every day.’ It was attended by headteachers and school leaders from across the north of England.
In August, The Mark 10 Mission was one of the only UK ministries to be represented at the World Youth Day Vocations Fair in Lisbon. It was whilst standing outside Mark 10’s stall in Portugal that founder and National Director Greg Finn was hit by the meteoric nature of the charity’s growth.
“We have so much to thank the Lord for yet again in 2023,” Mr Finn said. “It was there in Lisbon that it really hit home how mind-blowing this journey has been. We’d begun with an iphone and an idea in an upstairs chapel in Bradford and there we were, less than three years later, in Lisbon, presenting to Catholics from all across the globe.”
When asked about his favourite moment of the year, Mr Finn replied: “The Rosary Challenge by a mile! That was such a blessed project for us and the way it all came together was typical of Mark 10. We had created some videos for the Rosary back in October 2022 and they’d gone down well. This year though, I really felt called to film at the National Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham.
“Our videographer Theo and I trekked down to Norfolk on the last Thursday in July-and we even took my housemate with us to help set up and keep us entertained. We had to wait around until the Shrine closed to the public, then we bundled our way into the Slipper Chapel, set up and filmed late into the evening.”
“Like so often has been the case with this ministry, it was a simple idea that became a whole lot bigger than we ever could have anticipated. We edited and released the videos in October and it captured the imagination of schools across the country. By the end of that month, we estimate around 140,000 children prayed a decade of the Rosary with us using the videos filmed in the Slipper Chapel.”
The Rosary Challenge has been yet another example of how The Mark 10 Mission has taken beautiful elements of the Catholic tradition and presented them in a fresh and engaging way for children. Their fifteen minute videos always feature Fr Henry Longbottom, a priest of Leeds Diocese, reading the Gospel in full vestments. The responses and gestures from Holy Mass are always carefully presented in the videos.
Fr Henry laughs as he remembers a question he was asked by one of the children at a primary school in Leeds. “A young boy put his hand up and asked: ‘why do you always kiss the book?’ It was a great question which allowed me to explain the importance of holy scripture. It also illustrated to me how perceptive and inquisitive children are about even the small things in our faith.”
The future looks bright as The Mark 10 Mission steps into the new year. They have just signed an agreement to have their content broadcast across the globe on Shalom World TV. There are also exciting plans to launch a weekly video series for secondary school students from September.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for this fast-growing yet fledgling ministry will be to navigate the volume of opportunities which come their way, whilst operating within their means. Despite their influence, they are only a small team sailing in the somewhat uncharted waters of online evangelisation.
The charity has always felt the Lord calling them to keep their content free so that as many children as possible can experience the Gospel. Fundraising is always a priority to keep the mission moving forwards, and the charity will continue to apply for grants and invite donors to partner with them in their quest to bring the children of the UK to Jesus.
What is certain is the impossibility of predicting what the Lord has in store for this passionate group of young Catholics, with a dream to change the spiritual lives of young people in our schools.