On Saturday, September 27, 2025, thousands of Christians from across Ireland are expected to gather in Dublin for the March for Jesus, a public celebration of faith that organisers described as “a family day” and “an open act of proclaiming Christ.” The march will begin at 2pm at the Garden of Remembrance before moving down O’Connell Street, finally finishing at St Stephen’s Green for an afternoon of worship and prayer.
Pastor John Ahern of All Nations Church and one of the organisers, says the vision is simple: to lift up the name of Jesus in the public square and to reaffirm Ireland’s Christian heritage. “The goal of the march is to publicly reaffirm our Christian identity. To reaffirm our commitment to Christ, to life, to family, and to pursue a spiritual awakening in Ireland,” he told The Irish Catholic.
Last year’s march was the first in Ireland since the early 1990s, drawing more than 12,000 people to Dublin. “We saw people come from everywhere. So many young people, and people from the country. It’s encouraging. It shows people that it’s not weird or that you are not alone,” Pastor Ahern recalled.
March
This year, organisers are praying for a much larger turnout. “We’re hoping for 50,000,” he said. The number is ambitious, but not without precedent: marches in Brazil and Argentina have drawn crowds in the millions, while recent events in Paris saw 26,000 gather. Closer to home, more than 8,000 turned out in Belfast in August.
Pastor Ahern described the march in Belfast as “a real breakthrough” given the history of division in the North. “To see Catholics and Protestants there to profess that Jesus Christ is Lord … the PSNI told me it was the most peaceful march they had seen,” he said.
Pastor Ahern also sees the march as a chance to engage a younger generation disillusioned by what he calls “the avenues of hedonism and godlessness”
For Pastor Ahern, who has served in ministry for 25 years, the march is not about politics but about witness. “It is neutral enough to bring wide swaths of the Church. Look, it’s not about politics or anything like that. It’s a family day. An open act of proclaiming Christ. Of showing that this is a Christian nation and that God’s will may be done.”
A message echoed by Bishop Phonsie Cullinan, who has voiced support for the event: “It is something for all Christians. Something positive and clear and not political at all. Where we can march and say we are here and we stand for Christ.”
Pastor Ahern also sees the march as a chance to engage a younger generation disillusioned by what he calls “the avenues of hedonism and godlessness.” He cited recent research from the Bible Society’s Quiet Revival study that points to a resurgence of faith among young people. “Society offers young people nothing but nihilism and confusion … They are a generation looking for reality. And we have the opportunity to show them the way,” he said. “We must show them positive patterns, of faith, family, and fatherhood.”
Unity
The march then is a chance to stand together and to present that alternative. As philosopher Peter Kreeft observed: “When a maniac is at the door, feuding brothers reconcile.”
Despite last year’s turnout, Pastor Ahern noted what he called a “media blackout” on the event. “We drew 12,000 into Dublin from all around the country but there was not even a mention of it… The media tend to focus on negative stories regarding Christianity,” he said.
For him, the answer is not to complain but to keep witnessing publicly. “This is a chance to be a light in the world,” he said. “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.”
And his invitation to the March for Jesus is open-ended: “If you love Jesus, come along. If you don’t, come along.”
Pastor Ahern hopes the march will be remembered not for numbers or headlines but for unity. “We believe Jesus is the answer,” he said. “And the further our society has gone from Christ and the gospel, the further we’ve gone into darkness and despair. So we just want to lift Jesus up as the answer on that day. We’re here to proclaim that Christ the
Lord is King.”