"Alpha" for Catholics” “

It’s the evangelising project with the greatest success in the Catholic Church of England and Wales, even if it originated in a Protestant church, the church of Holy Trinity, Brompton in London. “Alpha for Catholics” is a ten-weak programme, comprising one weekend during the course, which is composed of fifteen sessions in which the basic questions of Christianity are tackled, such as: Who is Jesus? Why did he die? How and when should I read the Bible? “The Alpha course for Catholics began twenty years ago, as an evening meal during which various aspects of Christianity were discussed”, explains Mark Elsdon-Dew , head of the communications office of the Alpha programme for Catholics. “At the start it was a course taken especially by the young. Its attraction lay in the fact that it was an informal occasion, an ideal situation, also for those who did not believe, to speak of their own faith, and what it means to be Christians”. ORIGINS. It was Nicky Gumbel, a Protestant pastor and former lawyer, today a well known personality in the UK Christian world, who saw in the Alpha course a “powerful means of evangelization”. The course was devised as an educational means for parishes to teach the basics of Christianity. Gumbel then altered the course so that it could also speak to those outside the church. The rest, as they say, is history. The course has been a huge success. In 1993, the first conference dedicated to the Alpha course was held and Alpha courses were begun in churches throughout the UK and abroad. Today there are almost 30,000 registered Alpha courses held in over 150 countries throughout the world. Over six million people have completed an Alpha course, many in a Catholic church. CHRIST AT THE CENTRE. “The Alpha course is no different from any other course”, continues Elsdon-Dew, “nor is it at variance with the fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church. Perhaps in contrast to the catechism of the Church, the course concentrates more on the individual relationship with Jesus Christ than on the Sacraments. The course may prove very useful for those who don’t have an important relationship with Jesus. It may help them to rediscover a new and fundamental relationship with the Son of God, as well as refresh them about the basic teachings of Christianity”. “The sacraments are touched on in a follow up to the course in one-to-one meetings. Many of the people taking the course are not yet ready for a particular emphasis on any of the sacraments, that’s why we begun by speaking of Jesus and of the Catholic Church”, explains Elsdon-Dew. STARTING AN ‘ALPHA’ GROUP. The start of an Alpha course in a Catholic parish requires a precise programme of preparation. First of all you need to participate in an Alpha conference, contact your local parish priest and parish council, choose and form a group that is able to conduct the programme and the meetings. Teaching aids and resources are provided by the Alpha office in London, which is situated in Holy Trinity, Brompton, in the centre of the British capital where there also exists a section dedicated to the Catholic Church, “Alpha for Catholics”. According to Kitty Kay-Shuttleworth, in charge of “Alpha for Catholics” in London, the secret of so much success consists in the simplicity of the course, which answers the questions that people most pose about Christianity everyday. “It is a programme very accessible even for those who don’t go to church every week. We consider it a gift from the Protestant churches. I think that the Alpha programme helps us to build a community in which we grow in friendship as well as in faith”. A WITNESS. The reasons that lead a Catholic to enter an Alpha course are the most varied, “I was brought up as a Catholic, but throughout my life I have gone to church as an obligation or by force of habit and not by choice”, explains Philip Hook, from Norwich, “When I took part in my first Alpha course I was struck by how full of life the other participants were. We’ve become great friends, and my Christian life since then has become very rewarding. I’m now a catechist to a group of children, a lector during mass and participate in many activities in the parish”. And the story of Philip Hook is similar to that of countless other Catholics, who dropped out of the Church and then returned thanks to the Alpha course.