“A few years ago I attended Alpha for a short time. For some reason it just wasn’t what I was looking for then. My recent experience was different. Maybe it filled a need I hadn’t expressed to myself or anyone else. My faith was ok but held no vibrancy, no excitement. This session of Alpha provided that. I loved the videos and especially the discussion topics: What makes you happy? How can you make the most of the rest of your life? How has the Holy Spirit guided you at some point in your life? I always came home with much to ponder. The community was wonderful. Each session was inviting and skillfully conducted. The diversity (age, gender, backgrounds) and devotion of the attendees was inspiring. Everyone listened with genuine interest and spoke freely, knowing there would be no judgment. I believe we all felt our ideas were welcome. I will always be grateful for my experience with Alpha. I look forward to attending another session.”

“I was looking for an opportunity to deepen my faith through conversation with others and Alpha was exactly what I was looking for. It was wonderful to reflect about an aspect of my faith through the videos and discussions each week. Taking a moment to pause and share a meal also allowed me to connect with so many new people in the parish community which I appreciated as someone new to the parish.”

“Participating in Alpha was one of the best decisions I have made in my 20s! I was in desperate need of a space to talk about my faith, ask questions and get advice. Alpha provided me with that and so much more. Each week I attended always felt like I could finally take a deep breath and do something just for me that also strengthened my relationship with Jesus. I enjoyed all the delicious meals, meeting new people, and the ability to share from my heart knowing I was surrounded by supportive and kind people.”

“I was inspired to read the New Testament by the Alpha course and Nicky’s logical explanation of the evidence for Jesus’s resurrection. I enjoyed his straightforward, concise yet awesome explanations of doubts I’d had for a long time. The videos of people whose lives were turned around by Alpha were amazing. I’m so glad I did the course that I’ve done it several more times.”

“Alpha was such a rewarding experience that allowed me to view my faith in a variety of different lenses. Through the people I met and the discussions we had I was able to gain new ideas and perspectives, which ultimately made my relationship with God even stronger. Faith has always been a part of my life, but the Alpha experience took it to a whole new level. I highly recommend participating – it’s a great way to meet new people, have meaningful conversations without judgement or criticism, and a time to unplug from our busy lives.”

“I am grateful for Alpha! I knew nothing in advance when I signed up for the first Alpha session but I’m so glad I chose to attend. The Alpha course was a wonderful experience for me - nourishing warm meals (a bonus), very engaging videos with a new soul-nurturing question to consider each week (and after), and a great group of people (both leaders and participants) that I came to know and care about! It expanded my world!”

“Alpha is a great way to bring faith to life. It provides a welcoming environment to explore questions, beliefs, doubts and prayers. The Alpha program allows people to encounter God’s presence in the Holy Spirit. It brings new meaning to spiritual life and can be a life-changing experience.”

“Although I feel a close relationship with God and attend Mass often, Alpha helped remind me of specific stories and quotes from the Bible that strengthened my relationship with God. The videos were fun and engaging for the viewer and ranged from historical events to the stories of lives touched and changed through Jesus. The hosts were welcoming and made it easy to share thoughts in a comfortable and safe space.”

“We just finished an Alpha experience and it was a great way for Joe & me to meet people in our parish and around the country too! We enjoyed the film each week and the discussions afterwards. It was an enjoyable way to understand the Bible and its teachings.”

“Alpha provided me the opportunity to forge new connections with people whom I did not know and deepened my faith experience at the same time. The conversations and experiences that each person brought to the meetings provided me with knowledge, empathy, questions, answers, and faith. Alpha is a great opportunity, in a safe space, to examine yourself and your beliefs, and to deepen your relationship with God and others!”

“I was invited by Michelle Farrell to attend the ICSJ Alpha course and of course I said “yes”. I participate in Mass weekly and feel connected in my faith, so I thought I would check it out and it would be a good thing to do during the pandemic and also Lent was coming up. Sometimes I feel not so connected to God and less in the moment. I wanted some help with this. The group meets weekly and you watch a really cool video and you talk about the video with the group. I learned more about Jesus, the Bible, Prayer and Faith. This helped me spiritually.”

“I had such a wonderful and transformative experience with Alpha this year. It was my first time doing any sort of small group discussion through Church and I could not have enjoyed it more.”

“Alpha is great and I highly recommend it. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the history of the church and Bible. Also I had the opportunity to meet new people and learn their perspective on the issues covered in Alpha. Lastly, I enjoyed the food.”

“We joined Alpha after being invited to do so by Fr. Larry and we are so glad we did. For us, Alpha provided a community of people that we felt safe and comfortable talking to about our faith, as well as the issues that we all face in life. We enjoyed watching the official Alpha videos each week, discussing them with each other, and sharing our thoughts with the group. In turn, hearing the perspectives of the other group members helped open our minds to things we hadn’t thought of ourselves. We feel that the diversity of age and life experience that we saw in the group really added to the richness of conversation. We highly recommend the Alpha program to anyone looking to grow in their faith or even just looking to grow their community of friends!”

“I had a wonderful time going through the Alpha program! It was great to be able to gather with people (virtually) and talk about our faith. Our discussions were varied, engaging, and nonjudgmental. It was a wonderful way to grow in my faith and connect with other members of ICSJ, especially during this time when connecting as a parish community is so much harder than usual.”

“Alpha is the gateway to new relationships, open discussions, a “come and see invitation” to all without limitation nor expectation. It can be a blessing to many for our Catholic Church as a whole and pave the way to further ecumenism. It is a rich gathering of a variety of individuals exploring questions of our humanity together . As a parishioner, a friend or stranger, one may find it a delicious opportunity to explore one’s faith further, entice fulfillment in charity or prayer and I highly recommend participation in it!”

“Alpha was a wonderful experience. Although it wasn’t exactly how we had planned, as was everything in 2020, it was still great to connect with new people from many different places. We shared faith questions and stories without judgement. Our faith grew stronger and our faith family grew larger.”

“I jumped into Alpha honestly not knowing what to expect. I had never heard of it, or knew anyone who participated. I was SO happy I took the time for myself to join this great group of individuals exploring life, religion, and faith. I love the casual feel, there is no formal commitment, but you will find yourself wanting to fit Alpha into your schedule. I experienced so many wonderful and fun group conversations, experiences shared by others, and great information from all perspectives of faith. The biggest concept I took away from Alpha is how I pray, and how different every person experiences their own faith. I love what I gained from Alpha, and with zero pressure or commitment it’s totally worth it to sit in on one session. ”