More than 1,600 people from across Ireland, the vast majority of them youth, gathered at Dublin’s National Stadium on Tuesday to hear well known American evangelist, Fr Mike Schmitz, speak. His ‘Bible In A Year’ podcast has over one billion downloads.

Ahead of the event, St Kevin’s Church on Harrington Street was packed for Mass, concelebrated by Fr Schmitz and dozens of priests including Cork’s Bishop Fintan Gavin, that saw people queueing well before Mass began, while large crowds unable to enter gathered around the church doors.

Those attending came from every corner of Ireland, with young adults making up the overwhelming majority of both the congregation and the audience.  Many travelled as part of parish groups, university chaplaincies, ecclesial movements and youth ministries.

Welcoming the capacity audience to the National Stadium, Bishop Gavin called the gathering “remarkable”.

“All of this points to something deeper than the popularity of any one speaker.  It speaks of a real hunger for faith, for meaning, for belonging and, above all, for an encounter with Jesus Christ.”