Alpha in the
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Alpha remains a unique tool across the Church that provides a simple, scalable and sustainable way for each and any Catholic to 'look up and look out' as they invite people to discover and develop a relationship with Jesus. We saw more Alphas across Catholic Dioceses, ecclesial communities, ministries and movements than ever before with over 318 Alphas run in 2023. Similarly, we saw 202 Alpha Youth courses run in Parishes and Catholic schools across Australia.
Alpha Across The
CATHOLIC CHURCH
ALPHA PARTICIPANTS
11,440
ALPHA YOUTH PARTICIPANTS
4,444
CHURCHES / ORGANISATIONS RAN ALPHA
251
UNITY of the Church Across
DENOMINATIONS -
Alpha in a CATHOLIC Context is part of that VISION
Growth in the
CATHOLIC CHURCH
As Alpha continues to grow in the Catholic Church, we are seeing lives changed and communities transformed as leaders find a catalyst for renewal. This renewal was evident in so many ways:
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Increased collaboration with our Mission Partners such as Divine Renovation and NET Ministries;
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Supporting pilgrims attending World Youth Day through our More Than A Moment alignment strategy;
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Gathering in celebration and prayer at our Alpha Fearless Online Catholic Gathering.
In short, wherever Alpha goes, renewal follows. Be inspired reading just a few stories from leaders below as, together, we seek to play our part in raising up new generations in the life and mission of the Catholic Church.
HIGHLIGHTS
Diocesan
ENGAGEMENT
Eight Dioceses and Catholic Education Offices set out to intentionally integrate Alpha into their strategies of evangelisation through our Diocesan Implementation Strategy. One of those Dioceses, Armidale, has already seen some incredible fruit:
"The conversations sparked by Alpha have been incredibly powerful. They are building bridges between parishes and schools, reigniting hope among priests, parishioners and Catholic school staff that the next generation is not lost. And let's be real - we all need that hope now more than ever!
With Alpha, we have really effective tools that can be used to ignite spiritual curiosity and reward spiritual seeking in young people. It's a game-changer, and people are starting to take notice. The more people engage with the content of Alpha, the more convinced we are that this resource is anointed both in the area of kerygmatic evangelisation, as well as Church unity.
It's clear that Alpha Youth is more than just a program; it's a movement. And it's a movement that has the power to transform lives."
Chris Da Silva,
Mission and Evangelisation Officer
Diocese of Armidale
Leadership
CONFERENCE
The Leadership Conference was a breakthrough moment for the cohort of Catholic leaders that experienced what lies at the heart of Alpha. Two of those leaders from St Benedict’s in Burwood, Melbourne shared their experience and the impact on their own Parish.
“At Leadership Conference, we experienced a deep fostering of unity among all denominations and enjoyed the love that flowed from it. The intentional way in which the Alpha team reached out, welcomed and hosted the delegation was beyond our expectations. We learned what it feels like to be loved with generosity! Leadership Conference has broadened our vision for what’s possible in our parish.
Alpha has transformed our community in many ways. For many people, the moment they signed up for Alpha is the moment they’ve become ‘known’ by our community. It’s the step someone makes that means they go from being a vaguely familiar face we see at Mass who only the priest knows, to someone who’s name and story is known by our community.
For us, Alpha can open the hearts and minds of people to what it really means to be a modern-day Christian, where creativity is infused into our worship of God and where people experience the bigger picture of unity in our Church.”
Mission Coordinator Stef Tan and
Youth Coordinator Karen Luzan
St Benedict’s Parish Burwood
Archdiocese of Melbourne
Catholic Shapers
COHORT
The Catholic Shapers Cohort was a chance to accompany emerging leaders in the life of the Catholic Church through a 12-month learning community. Here is what two of our Shapers alumni shared on their experience.
"Through Shapers I experienced the importance of having relationships. Being able to share your victories and challenges, knowing that you're not alone, that you actually have a group of people who go through the same struggles and truly becoming the Body of Christ"
Richie Leilua
All Saints Parish, Liverpool
“It has been so amazing to be with like-minded community, people from different denominations coming together, to draw aside and spend time with our Lord together. I've been able to gain so much from the wisdom of conversations that I've had with others and in the amazing teaching that we've been blessed to receive. Everyone here has welcomed me like family. It almost feels like a glimpse of the kingdom; standing together as brothers and sisters worshiping God in spirit and in truth. It has been incredible and I would definitely recommend this to anyone, all people. I think the world needs our collective witness as Christians. We need this today.”
Mary-Anne De Luca
Diocese of Maitland and Newcastle