A ripple effect – How Scientists in Congregations has empowered Catholic scientists and seeded new projects

Michael Harvey, Francesca Blondell, and Marta Gallego at the Scientists in Congregations retreat in September. 

Two of our newest Scientists in Congregations awardees are Marta Gallego and Francesca Blondell – but this is only the latest step on their journey in science and faith outreach.

In 2021, Marta was a volunteer at the Catholic radio station Radio Maria England. Radio Maria received a Scientists in Congregations grant that year to run a podcast series, ‘Faith Journeys in Science’, to highlight the personal and spiritual journeys of Catholic scientists. Marta, a Catholic science teacher, led the project. She worked with consultant Michael Harvey, who has advised Scientists in Congregations projects for several years, and who also founded the science-faith schools outreach programme, God and the Big Bang. Following Michael’s advice, Marta invited established Catholic scientists and student scientists to participate in live-recorded conversations hosted in university chaplaincies.

One of those student scientists was Francesca Blondell, then an undergraduate physics student, and now a PhD candidate, at Durham University. Francesca is also a volunteer speaker about science and faith to pupils in schools across the UK with God and the Big Bang. Building on her experiences at Radio Maria and God and the Big Bang, Francesca recently applied for and received a Scientists in Congregations grant for a project based in her parish in Durham. ‘Created and Called’, at St Cuthbert’s RC Church, aims to encourage children to engage in hands-on scientific exploration rooted in Christian faith.

Working closely with their parish priest and local Catholic schools, Francesca and her project co-director, Eva, will aim to encourage children to participate in hands-on scientific exploration rooted in Christian faith and to discover that seeking answers is part of their God-given identity. Through an established partnership of local parishes and schools, the project will foster a sense of belonging across generations and communities, strengthening relationships between young people and the Church while emphasising the deep harmony between scientific curiosity and faith.

Meanwhile, Marta continues to develop in her journey a a science and faith communicator. This year, she is leading a new Scientists in Congregations project at her school, Nicholas Breakspear, in St Albans. Marta hopes to bring together families, students, and priests for meals and dialogue on the relationship between science, technology, and faith, and the questions and possibilities that arise from it. Marta says:

“We want to inspire and nurture a new generation of active Christians with a well-rounded understanding of God’s Creation, no matter what career they pursue in the future.”

Francesca and Marta are pioneering new forms of intergenerational, parish-linked learning. Together, they are building a Church where families, scientists, students, and clergy can explore questions of science and faith not in isolation, but collectively. Both projects also demonstrate the fruitful impact of Scientists in Congregations and its ripple effect beyond the duration of a single project.

If you would like to follow in their footsteps, we invite you to apply to our final Scientists in Congregations cohort, launching on Monday 6 October 2025. For full details on the programme and the application process, click here.

“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:8.