London: Spirit in the City takes over Leicester Square

This year's grace-filled Spirit in the City festival in Leicester Square attracted record crowds.

The Festival began quietly on Wednesday with the sell-out UK premiere of the film 'Full of Grace' a beautiful, reflective film about the last days on earth of Our Lady and the early days of the Church - described as 'a cinematic prayer experience.' After the screening there was a Q@A session hosted by Christopher Warrack CEO of Open Cinema, with Sr Lynne Baron FCJ Vocations Director and university chaplain, Fr Stephen Wang, Senior Chaplain to the Universities and Colleges in the Diocese of Westminster and ICN editor Jo Siedlecka.

The next two days were filled with street evangelisation, Eucharistic Adoration in Notre Dame Church, prayers, music, talks by Fr Matt Blake OCD and Meg Hunter-Kilmer and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal among others.

On Saturday afternoon the festival took over the whole of Leicester Square Gardens - an area of London which attracts a quarter of a million visitors each day. There was a rolling programme of music on stage, marquees, tents for prayers and reconciliation, workshops and activities, stalls and teams of volunteers welcoming visitors.

One tourist from South Korea was very surprised to learn that the event was Catholic. "I didn't know Catholics did this sort of thing" he said. Two backpackers from New York told ICN they were impressed with the music and general welcoming atmosphere. A group of Muslim girls sat on the grass and chatted with some other visitors about Ramadan which has started today. They explained that their mosque in north London shares a homeless project with the local Catholic and Anglican parishes.

On Saturday evening there was standing room only at the Thanksgiving Mass at the Church of Notre Dame, where the choir led the singing with African, French and English hymns. The chief celebrant was Bishop Tom Burns who posed for many pictures afterwards.

The festival concluded with an evening concert in Leicester Square with Noel Robinson - one of the UK's leading Christian musicians.

"It's great," one young parishioner from Enfield told ICN. "It feels like a warm-up for World Youth Day in Krakow - which I can hardly wait for!"

Organised by the local churches, the first Spirit in the City Festival in London took place in 2006.

Read more about Spirit in the City here: www.spiritinthecity.org/

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