England’s Zion

Is Durham the place to be for young Trad Catholics, asks Portia Berry-Kilby

Cheap drinks, nights out and an embrace of secular values form the mainstay of many university experiences. But not for Catholic students at Durham University. For them, pilgrimages, early morning Mass, and “spouse shopping” is more the vibe. Earlier this year I met with members of Durham University Catholic Society (CathSoc, for short) and experienced firsthand the vibrant Catholic scene on offer.

After a couple of days spent chatting with students and gatecrashing their events, it was clear that the student Catholic scene at Durham is pretty ‘trad’, to say the least. Significant numbers of students travel a good distance to attend a traditional Latin Mass on a Sunday, and the weekly Friday traditional Latin Mass celebrated in Durham, at an antisocial time of 7:30am I might add, was teeming with students (even if several boasted a bedhead and a liberal understanding of punctuality!).

Students proudly told me pilgrims on the 2024 LMS Walsingham Pilgrimage rolled their eyes when they met “yet another Durham student”, as they were (as the Durham students claim, anyway) unrivalled in their enthusiasm.

A graduate student hypothesised that the Catholic scene is so traditional at Durham because, “Durham itself tends to be a fairly traditional place.” He explained further that: “The collegiate culture and traditions of each college mean that people apply to study here who appreciate culture. The Cathedral too plays a big part in university life, which helps foster that sense of tradition.”

Durham has many reminders of its ancient Catholic past, with St Cuthbert and St Bede the Venerable buried in its Norman cathedral, which rises high above the Wear Valley. The university’s motto, drawn from Psalm 87, alludes to this inheritance: “Fundamenta eius super montibus sanctis” (Her foundations are set upon the holy hills – "her" refers to Zion). The CathSoc VicePresident proffered that: “There’s a great devotion to local saints in a way that

Durham Cathedral: ‘There’s something special about the northern English saints’ there just isn’t in the South of England. There’s something special about the northern English saints.” The graduate student chimed in again and doubled down: “Durham is England’s Zion!”

But the Vice-President of the Society was keen to emphasise that there is no animosity or firm dividing line between the “trads” and the “regular” Catholics at the university. Although, “A lot who join for the weekly TLM are traddies, you will see a new face every now or then”, he told me. Right on cue, the next morning when I attended the Friday traditional Latin Mass followed by a student breakfast, I met a second-year student whose first experience of a TLM had been that morning. He had heard his freshman friend wax lyrical about the Old Rite for several weeks, and finally decided to go see what all the fuss was about.

The 20 or so students who attended the Friday TLM spanned a range of academic disciplines, ethnicities, and backgrounds. And, contrary to the common trope of young traditionalists, the male-female ratio was pretty even. The President of the CathSoc (engaged to be married to a man she met through the university Catholic scene) laughed that, “A lot of spouse shopping does take place” at CathSoc events. She told me: “It’s wonderful to meet people who are on the same page as you and share your values, and there’s more of a view that dating leads to marriage among Catholics than among most people at university.” Indeed, the Vice-President quipped: “Coming to Durham means you can save the faff of downloading Catholic Match.”

When probed for what they made of Traditionis Custodes, the students were thoughtful and considered in their response. The President reflected that: “The general attitude is not one of anger or hatred, but upset. If the Holy Father could see how our faith has been solidified and allowed to grow through what such a reverent liturgy allows, I don’t think he’d go after a form of the Mass that brings such flourishing.” She said that while most of the student response to a crackdown on the Old Rite was one of “sadness and general confusion rather than polemical discourse”, she was keen to emphasise that, “due respect should be given to the Pope because of his office and dignity as a human person. We would quickly shoot down disrespectful remarks about Pope Francis.”

With a chaplaincy room that is open to students most of the time for studying, regular socials (often featuring the student dream of free food), and seemingly deep friendships that centre on Christ, Durham’s CathSoc struck me as a wonderful place to grow in faith for a young adult. I’d certainly encourage school leavers to consider applying if they want to deepen their faith while at university, and might even suggest those single Catholics hoping to find a spouse enrol for a Master’s.