They've heard Holy Mass in 50 Churches. I'm not sure that I've attended Mass in 50 Churches in my almost 79 years. Good on them for a new tradition.
From AleteiaBy Cerith Gardiner
What began as a simple idea between friends has quietly turned into something far more meaningful.One thing about adolescents is their ability to make us see things afresh. And this is just the case with three Irish teenagers who may just have found the ultimate way to turn going to Mass into something of an adventure.
As a recent video from RTE News explained, what began as a lighthearted alternative to a familiar festive tradition turned into something much bigger for three friends from Co Wicklow, Ireland. Instead of the usual “12 pubs of Christmas,” Luke Doogue, Stephen Patterson, and Dylan Byrne decided to try something different. They would attend Mass in 12 different churches.
“People thought we were mad,” Doogue admits. And yet, somewhere along the way, the idea stuck.
Since November 2024, the three teenagers, aged 17, 18, and 19, have visited 50 different churches, and they are still going. What began as a bit of fun has taken on a rhythm of its own, something they carried right through Holy Week, with a sense that it now means more than they ever expected.
“We just decided we’d do something different, and why not?” Doogue continues to explain. And there is a beauty in that simple question, and perhaps that is exactly why it works so well.
If you think about it, for many teenagers, and indeed for many adults, faith can begin to feel overly structured, something expected rather than chosen. What these three friends have done, almost without overthinking it, is to turn it back into something active, something explored rather than endured.
Along the way, they have also become surprisingly insightful observers of how to participate in Mass.
Experiencing the Mass
The youths are coming away from the experience with things they appreciate.
Doogue (like Pope Francis) thinks homilies really need to stay short: "less than six minutes for the homily makes a massive difference, relatable is key” -- a comment that will no doubt resonate with many who have ever struggled to stay focused.
Patterson, meanwhile, focuses less on structure and more on atmosphere: “it’s the smiles, the parishioners, the priests,” he says, pointing to something less tangible but no less important, the sense of welcome that shapes the experience.
And Byrne, with a grin, keeps things grounded: “I like a short Mass,” he says, before adding that even then it offers something valuable, “30 minutes of reflection, you’re with your thoughts.”
If you look at their observations together, they feel surprisingly complete. While they are landing in many different churches, they are still finding connection, something that happens when people feel at ease, when they are welcomed, when they can engage without pressure, and perhaps even find a moment of stillness in the middle of everything else.
The quiet power of going to different churches.
While the content of each Mass is, of course, important, there's an added bonus to these nomadic churchgoers. Each parish carries its own rhythm, its own way of welcoming, its own community, and moving between them allows something to become visible that might otherwise be taken for granted, namely that the Mass is both deeply local and part of something much larger. It changes slightly from place to place, and yet remains recognisably the same, offering a sense of continuity that is both grounding and reassuring.
For teenagers, this kind of approach could be surprisingly freeing. Rather than seeing Mass as something static, tied to one place or routine, it becomes something to discover, to experience, even to compare. It opens the possibility of going with friends, of noticing what works, of engaging with it in a way that feels active rather than passive. And for parents, there may be something worth taking from this too.
Encouraging older children to approach faith in this spirit, not through obligation, but through curiosity, could make all the difference. A simple challenge, a shared plan, even just a “why not?” might be enough to shift the experience from something resisted to something chosen.
Because what these three friends have stumbled upon is not complicated. It is simply the idea that faith, like anything else, can come alive when it is approached with openness, a bit of creativity, and just enough humor to make it feel real. And sometimes, all it takes to begin is the willingness to ask, quite simply, why not?
Pictured: St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Seat of the Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland
