Douglas Colbran, the newly-appointed youth and young adults coordinator at All Saints Liverpool, is ‘hyped’ as he prepares to bring up to 50 young people to the upcoming Synod consultation that will be held there next month.
“I’m very excited. I do think that it’ll benefit the church a lot to hear the voices of our young people.”
The youth leader believes his young charges feel empowered and energised: “It’s a way for them to be heard, and they want to be heard.”
He believes the Synod consultations arrive at a crucial juncture for the church, in what he sees as “a new season of hope and trust emerging among the youth”.
“People are starting to dream big, or to aspire to bigger things. I see people coming back to trust the church,” he says.
He says there is a real desire among young people for more informal collaborations with other parishes: “Something that I’ve been hearing a lot amongst the youth is the desire for the universal church to be united, there is a beauty when all parishioners, or rather parishes, come together,” Douglas says.
Gina Fattal, a key leader at All Saints and a facilitator at the Synod consultations is also excited for this opportunity for her parish and the wider community.
“We are big on planning here at All Saints and I think because we get a bit of input and share in dialogue, it’s going to be exciting for everyone to come together and vocalise what they’re thinking,” she says.
“I think it’s amazing in terms of wanting a more unified church; Catholicism is universal, everyone’s meant to be part of the church. And so, in my view, it’s better to have a holistic view where everyone’s welcome and everyone can feel included, but to the same point, still having those standards and morals that the church was founded on.”
Both Douglas and Gina are united in their vision to empower young people and the wider parish to have their say, to dream big, and to bring practical, unifying ideas to the Synod consultations.
As Douglas puts it, “It’s an exciting new page for the archdiocese. There’s a lot of hope for the church and I’m excited to see where these consultations take us.”
Register to attend either of the two remaining consultations:
St Mary’s Cathedral
Tuesday, 14 October 2025 | 6 – 9 PM
Register at: trybooking.com/DAVZE
All Saints, Liverpool
Thursday, 16 October 2025 | 6 – 9 PM
Register at: trybooking.com/DAVZF
