A pub night with a purpose

By Heather Excell

It might not be the first place you’d expect to see a Catholic ministry at work, but on the first Thursday of each month, the back room of the Crescent Hotel fills with young adults gathering to share a meal and talk about their faith.

Daniel de la Motte, the UTAS Catholic Chaplaincy Coordinator and founder of the Big Pub Night series, said the event started in mid-2025 as a response to the young adult Catholics of Hobart.

“The heart of this change was to engage young people where they are and to bring the life of the Church to them in those places,” he said. “They liked going to the pub, so we took the ministry to the pub.”

The initiative marked a pivot in the Chaplaincy’s ministry, helping to build a steady and repeating rhythm of life across the month. That rhythm now includes regular Mass and Confession at the UTAS Sandy Bay campus, evenings of prayer, meals and discussions, Praise & Worship nights, social nights, and evenings spent in service to the broader community.

With the rise of online learning, in-person classes split between Hobart and Sandy Bay, and many students balancing work commitments on top of study, fewer young adults are consistently around ‘on campus’.

“Having a rhythm of regular events allows them to tap in and out according to their busy schedules,” Daniel said.

The monthly Big Pub Nights give young adults the opportunity to share a meal and hear from a range of guest speakers. Priests, religious, and lay men and women from around the Archdiocese have come to share on topics including the Shroud of Turin, the Jewish roots of Catholicism, and their own personal stories of the faith.

“They are helping us to see and understand how the Holy Spirit is at work evangelising our culture,” Daniel said.

Attendance for the series continues to grow, with regular parishioners and residents of John Fisher College joining the UTAS students. Young adults often travel for the event or stop by the pub on their way home from work. At times, even the bar staff have participated in the conversation.

“The bar staff are among the most curious of all,” Daniel said. “Each month they pause from pouring beverages to ask questions and chat with this curious group of young adults. We are very grateful for those who come to join us and for the welcome and hospitality that the staff extend to us.”

Young adults in Southern Tasmania are invited to join Big Pub Night on the first Thursday of each month at the Crescent Hotel, North Hobart. Times and topics for the night can be found on the UTAS Catholic Chaplaincy Facebook page.