The Church in Brisbane is witnessing a renewal as more people turn to the faith. Source: The Catholic Leader.
“We are currently experiencing a remarkable moment in our parishes, with people simply turning up and asking to become Catholic,” Vanessa Comninos, the Archdiocesan Ministries project officer for the adult formation team, said.
“God is meeting people in their need,” she said pointing to a significant growth in Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults numbers.
And one of the ways parishes are seeing more people through their doors is the 10-week Alpha course.
At St Mary’s Parish in Upper Coomera, the program has grown from six leaders in 2024 to 18 today, expanding from one session a week to two and now drawing about 40 people combined.
“I have witnessed this transformation time and time again … head knowledge about God becoming heart knowledge through a genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit,” Ms Comninos, who supports parishes with Alpha, said.
“And then something wonderful happens: the sacraments and the Mass, which once seemed difficult to understand, suddenly become meaningful and alive as a revelation of our living God. It is one of the most fulfilling things to witness in ministry.”
St Mary’s Alpha co-ordination Maggie Moodley said the program transformed lives.
“We had one lady who lost her faith after losing two children and reconnected with God through Alpha. Now she has peace and can smile again,” she said.
Another young mother who was struggling with homelessness and substance abuse “found her whole life changed after doing Alpha”.
“She has now done the RCIA course and both her and her child have been baptised. One of our alpha leaders was the godmother to her child,” Ms Moodley said.
Ms Moodley said Alpha was the perfect tool to follow Jesus’ teachings and to make disciples.
“It changes hearts and renews the gifts of the Holy Spirit in each of us. It brings the focus back to Jesus and to going out and making disciples,” she said.
Alpha was not a magic formula, Mrs Comninos said, but when run “well and consistently, it stewards all the key ingredients needed to bring people to Jesus” by creating a community that proclaimed the Gospel in an inspiring and accessible way.
FULL STORY
How a faith program is transforming lives in Brisbane (By Kymberlee Gomes, The Catholic Leader)
