Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project

AGAP (Archdiocese of Glasgow Arts Project) was founded in 2006 to engage people of all backgrounds through faith-inspired arts events and activities. Since then, we have earned a reputation for quality and inclusion, involving everyone from professional artists to school children across a multi-disciplinary arts programme, offering live and online content. Our festivals Lentfest and Arts in Autumn have become household names. We are known for our input to the Scottish festival scene, education, theatre, music, film and the visual arts. AGAP is lead by professional playwright and theatre practitioner, Stephen Callaghan, who founded the project alongside the late Archbishop Mario Conti. His work in the field of faith-based theatre spans 20 years, making ideas and concepts accessible and entertaining to diverse audiences through plays such as "The Martyrdom of Saint John Ogilvie" which toured nationally in 2015 and "The Margaret Sinclair Story" (2016), which earned a 3-star review in The Scotsman at it's Fringe debut. His 2023 solo production, "Oggie! Oggie! Oggie!", based on The Confessions of Saint Augustine" attracted powerful audience reviews.

In the spirit of Saint John Paul II (himself a playwright, poet and actor), AGAP has reached out to a wide variety of people interested in using and developing their gifts and talents in the service of God. Whilst maintaining an inclusive Catholic ethos, AGAP has involved people of various faith backgrounds and none at all. For some, it is an access point to an encounter with the Catholic Faith, for others it is a way to develop new skills or to meet others with similar interests. Everyone, from school children to professional artists have contributed to the work of the project over the years. We are registered internationally by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture as a Catholic Cultural Centre.

AGAP organises arts events and activities that facilitate an encounter with the Faith of the Catholic Church. These have included art exhibitions, theatre productions, concerts, film events, literary events, school workshops and more. Our annual flagship festival, Lentfest: An Imaginative Fusion of Faith and the Arts, has become a household name and is recognised in The List Guide to Scotland's Festivals. AGAP's highly successful touring community theatre company, has contributed to various public events, including Glasgow's Merchant City Festival, West End Festival, and St Mungo Festival, as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Since 2006, AGAP has been based in various parts of the Archdiocese of Glasgow and in 2020 moved to new premises, operating out of the Parish of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Househillwood in the South Side but continues to serve the Archdiocese of Glasgow.