The Most Holy Redeemer sits on a busy market street in central London, full of possibility but also weighed down by responsibility. Its vicar had faithfully held the parish together with devotion, yet he knew there was untapped potential in his community.

Through relationship and trust, the parish dared to experiment. An evening mass was launched, contemporary in style yet true to the Catholic tradition, opening a door for those who might not connect on a Sunday morning. Alongside this came Night Light: a contemplative service in the church while teams went out with lanterns and votive candles into the bustling bars and restaurants of Exmouth Market, inviting people inside.

Up to 150 people stepped in on those evenings, often in search of something they couldn’t quite name. They lit candles, left over 100 prayer requests each month, and encountered the hush of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Many were visibly moved. Some sought out pastoral conversations. Others simply sat in silence.

The results showed in more than numbers. Regular Sunday attendance rose by around thirty within a year. Two young men entered discernment for ordination. A curate arrived with a passion for mission. A lay worker was employed to help plant a new worshipping community in a sister church. Film nights, pilgrimages, and small discipleship groups sprang up.

What began as a fragile experiment with lanterns and music became a seedbed for renewal. The parish discovered that sacramental beauty, far from being a relic, was deeply attractive to a generation longing for peace and transcendence.