Join us this summer for the launch of the Emmaus Festival!
You Are Invited
Join us at the SPEC Retreat Centre this summer for the unmissable Emmaus Festival, on 2-3 August 2025!
The festival will feature exciting speakers, workshops, Eucharistic Adoration, campfires, praise and worship, and camping.
This is going to be a vibrant celebration of what it means to be young and invited to a life of HOPE!
Why launch during the Jubilee Year?
The Church celebrates a Jubilee Year every 25 years; it is a year of special significance and grace. This year, we are particularly invited to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, pilgrimage, and acts of charity. It is a year for renewal, forgiveness and reconciliation, and ultimately for hope. Each month this year, the Church will turn her eyes towards particular communities within her global family and hold them up in prayer and celebration.
On the week on 28 July – 3 August, young people from all over the world will gather in Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of Youth. We, along with Cardinal Vincent, invite you to celebrate with us here at SPEC!
Come As You Are
Jesus invites you as you are, calling you by name, to discover his love for you. Like Mary, we are encouraged to hear his call and respond. All that’s needed now is to say YES!
Come with your youth group, with your friends, with your family, or even on your own and make friends here!
Most importantly, come as you are and have a real, personal encounter with Christ.
WHY “EMMAUS”?
As Westminster Youth Ministry, we believe that every person should be given the opportunity to encounter Christ.
Our logo represents the disciples on road to Emmaus – who were downcast, afraid, in despair… Their friend and master, whom they thought was the only possibility of salvation for their entire people, had died… and yet encountering the Risen Christ transformed their whole existence, so that they became Pilgrims of Hope.
This very experience is what we hope to bring to all the young people and young adults from our diocese: A real and transformative encounter with Christ. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Christ is calling YOU to come and meet him!
Key Information
How much is a ticket?
Tickets are £33 for the whole weekend. They are being heavily subsidised by the Diocese. Payment can be made when signing up.
Food and Drink
All meals will be included; that is, Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast and lunch.
Feel free to bring snacks, but please note that the SPEC Retreat Centre is a nut-free environment.
Accommodation
In true World Youth Day style, we will be sleeping outside! We will have four marquees for sleeping, divided by gender and age.
Please bring a sleeping bag and roll-mat as we will all be sleeping on the ground… no glamping here!
Timings
We will start on Saturday morning, and finish in the late afternoon on Sunday. Exact timings to be released soon, so check back here regularly!
Age range
The festival is for post-Confirmation aged youth, with an upper age limit of 25. They attendees will be split into age categories for their activities during the festival.
Young people will journey with others their age in the following age-groups:
14-17
18-25
Volunteering opportunities will be available for those aged 25+. If you are interested please contact the retreat centre by email spec@rcdow.org.uk
Safeguarding
Young people under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult; this includes groups with young people under 18.
To see the SPEC Retreat Centre Safeguarding policy, please click here.
What to bring
A full kit list will be sent to you closer to the time, but most importantly, bring yourself, a friend, and an excited mindset!