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The Alpha Course

provides a clear and non-threatening way to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people from all walks of life;	---	Archbishop Harry Flynn and other Catholic leaders encourage the Alpha Course
helps lead people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, within the context of the parish;
is ecumenical in that it covers the basic Christian truths shared by all traditions; and
is considered by many Church leaders to be the most effective form of direct evangelization in common use today.

This page provides information on running the Alpha Course within a Catholic context.

The Course Alpha for Catholics How Alpha Works Parish Support Leadership & Team Training Course Materials Follow-up Catholic Materials Expenses

The Course

The Alpha Course features 10 weekly meetings consisting of a supper, simple talk, and small-group sharing. The course-

•		is user friendly and can be run by the laity;
•		is supported by comprehensive resources, including talks on video and study manuals;
•		includes a one- or two-day retreat, during which participants experience the person and work of the Holy Spirit; and
•		concludes with a celebration dinner where invited friends and family of those who have just finished the course come to learn about Alpha.

Alpha is now running in thousands of Christian churches of all denominations, including hundreds of Catholic parishes, in more than 72 countries. It also is rapidly spreading through youth groups, schools, colleges, and prisons.

Thanks to the Alpha course-

•		the lives of Christians of every background and denomination are changing, and
•		church membership is growing, attendance is increasing, and many attendees are joining RCIA and small faith communities.

Alpha for Catholics

When Catholics hear about Alpha, they often ask, “Why doesn’t someone just create a Catholic version of Alpha?”

England’s Rt. Reverend Ambrose Griffiths offers this response: “If we look at the teaching of Vatican II, we are clearly told that we should seek whatever is good and true wherever we find it. I think we should have the humility to learn from our fellow Christians and realize that they have a great deal to teach us, and we have riches to share with them.”

Here is what we’ve discovered about using Alpha in a Catholic context:

1. Alpha works, and the key to Alpha’s success is its combined message and packaging. Alpha clearly and concisely presents basic, unchanging Christian truths in a package that is acceptable to people today. Without the presentation of basic Christian doctrine, said Bishop Griffiths, ?the further riches of the faith would fall on deaf ears.?

The fruits of Alpha in the Catholic Church are evident. Says Bishop Griffiths, “I am aware of churches where they have done it. They are growing. That is surely the testimony we want.” In addition to increased church attendance, small faith sharing communities are forming and participation in RCIA programs is growing. Some churches that previously had only two or three people in RCIA now enroll up to 30 or more people annually.

2. Alpha is relatively mature. The program has been around for more than 20 years, and many of the rough edges have been polished.

3. Alpha is a tremendous Christian witness. For those who only see division among denominations, Alpha creates a spectacle of Christians united in acceptance of Alpha as a common tool of evangelization. Our humility in accepting something that was not created by Catholics for Catholics surely helps us respond to the call of Pope John Paul II, "Relations between Christians presuppose and from now on call for every possible form of practical cooperation at all levels: pastoral, cultural, and social, as well as that of witnessing to the Gospel message." (Ut Unum Sint, para. 40) London, England's Holy Trinity Brompton, where the Alpha course was created, has been extremely humble and generous with their help in giving us Alpha as an effective tool of evangelization.

Because Alpha is so successful, it provides us with a very practical and effective first step in the evangelization process. Rather than create a totally new “Catholic Alpha,” ChristLife and Catholic Evangelisation Services in the UK are continuously developing supplemental Catholic resources that parishes can use as next-steps in the evangelization process.

There are currently several video series available that provide excellent introductions to Catholic Christianity for those who experience the basic Alpha program. These resources provide clear Catholic messages that can help lead others into RCIA and give them a hunger for life in the Catholic Church. Additional resources will soon be available.

How Alpha Works

Alpha is run by local parishes

Alpha is a form of evangelization that is thoroughly parish-based and does not require big-name speakers or the booking of football stadiums. People come to Alpha because their friends and relatives invite them. Then they in turn invite their friends and relatives. When people come to Alpha, they find themselves among people who are the local Church. It is the local parish community that is opening its doors in an unthreatening way. Alpha communicates the Gospel and shows others that churchgoers are normal, friendly people.

Alpha is a 10-week course

The Alpha course provides sufficient time for many of the participants to go through a significant conversion process. There are 15 talks in the course, allowing for one talk per evening and additional talks for a weekend away that is part of the overall program.

Alpha works through relationships

Alpha was created specifically for inactive Christians and non-churchgoers. But when the first Alpha course is held in a parish, it is usually filled with regular churchgoers. When these parishioners find themselves renewed in their faith, they then invite their friends and relatives to attend the course. Alpha gives ordinary parishioners a chance to tell those around them about their faith in a new and comfortable way.

Alpha evenings start with a meal

The meal can be as simple as bread and soup, yet it is a vital part of the evening because it breaks the ice and brings people together.

Alpha talks appeal to the mind and heart

After the meal, everyone watches a video-taped talk, which is fun to watch and helps avoid an "us and them" syndrome. The early talks show that it is reasonable to believe, and they show it in a very respectful way. The talks are persuasive, yet they do not apply pressure.

Free-flowing discussion follows the talk, with the help of a manual that serves as a reminder of key points for discussion. Group leaders often observe that, over the period of the course, participants switch from an atheistic to a Christian viewpoint.

Alpha includes a week-end away

There is also a one- or two-day retreat, during which participants experience the person and work of the Holy Spirit

Parish Support

Alpha is designed to be parish-based but does not require that your pastor or other priest be heavily involved with running the course. It is important to discuss Alpha with your pastor and get his permission before proceeding.

Because Alpha originated in an Anglican church, your pastor or other church leaders may have questions about its appropriateness for use in a Catholic context. ChristLife and Catholic Evangelisation Services in the UK have developed a booklet called Alpha for Catholics - Questions and Answers that can help others understand its value for all Christians.

Leadership & Team Training

Choosing the right team members is a key step. Look for people who are people-oriented and mature, trusted Catholics. Because the materials are so easy to use, however, you do not need to recruit based on expertise in spiritual subjects.

You do need to have a coordinator who can organize the practicalities and various workers involved. This can be a lay member of the parish. The ChristLife Bookstore carries materials that can provide leaders with the information and guidance required to run the course effectively and efficiently.

Comprehensive materials are available to train leaders and team members. The best way to prepare to run an Alpha course is to first attend an Alpha conference. There you will learn the principles of Alpha as well as practical advice on how to run the course in your parish.

Alpha Conferences are held across North America as well as in many locations worldwide. Conferences sponsored by Alpha are ecumenical in nature. Those sponsored by ChristLife are primarily for Roman Catholics, but all Christians are welcome to attend. Please contact us for details.

The ChristLife Bookstore offers videos and other resources to help you train your team for their roles in running the Alpha course.

Alpha Course Materials

To run the Alpha course, you will need the Alpha DVDs, as well as manuals for your leaders and participants. If you choose, however, you can create your talks using Nicky Gumbel's Questions of Life as a basis for your talks. These materials, as well as other important resources, are all available from ChristLife.

Catholic Follow-up Materials

The Alpha course is ecumenical in nature and introduces only the basic truths of Christianity. It can successfully draw participants into a fuller life in the Church, which makes it a wonderful first step in the evangelization process.

But for Catholics, far more teaching is required as a follow-up to the Alpha course.
Together with Catholic Evangelisation Services in the UK, ChristLife has developed several supplemental Catholic resources that parishes can use as next-steps in the evangelization process. These resources provide clear Catholic messages that can help lead others into RCIA and give them a hunger for life in the Catholic Church.

The following resources are now available from the ChristLife Bookstore:

Touching Jesus Through the Church, presented by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Dallas, is recommended as the initial Catholic follow-up to the Alpha course. The series includes eight talks on the following topics:

• Who Needs the Catholic Church?
• Baptism - Gateway to Life
• Confirmation - Empowered to Serve
• Personal Prayer - Pathway to Joy
• What is the Mass?
• Getting More Out of Mass
• Keeping a Pure Heart
• Mary and the Saints

Catholics Listening to God is a seven talk series designed to help Catholics and all Christians hear the voice of God through Scripture, Tradition and the Teaching of the Church. The series is presented by Bishop Mark Coleridge, an Australian Bible scholar, who worked in the Vatican Secretariat of State on many of the writings of the Holy Father.

The titles of the seven talks in the series are:
• The Word of God
• The Book of God
• Praying the Bible
• Sharing the Bible
• The Tradition of the Church
• The Teaching of the Church
• The Mission of the Church

Related Costs

You will encounter some expenses when running the Alpha course. A variety of Alpha and Catholic follow-up resource materials are currently available from the ChristLife Bookstore. Most parishes purchase these resources and provide them free of charge to participants. You can request that leaders and participants purchase their own copies.

If the cost of buying the videos is a problem, you may be able to share resources with another parish. The two parishes can meet together to do Alpha or share materials by meeting on different evenings of the week.

You may also have costs for providing the meals and the weekend away. The parish can elect to absorb all the costs or to charge a set price or ask for voluntary contributions.