You have read in the bulletin about the Alpha program starting later this month. Unfortunately, we are not able to get a team assembled together in time to start it this Spring. We are going to delay it until the Fall.
Nothing has changed in my mind regarding Alpha and the two goals that I mentioned a few weeks ago, that I would like it to accomplish:
To bring together people to build community
To explore some of the most fundamental questions we might be asking ourselves about our faith.
I really think it will help to reflect on what it is to be a Christian and emphasize the doing and being the hands and feet of Christ in our world. Over the years, I have noticed the focus of many of our Catholic programs be about accumulating knowledge about our faith. Catholic Scripture studies, for example, tend to be about learning facts about the Bible. Or we’ll have a series on a particular topic such as the Eucharist. While gaining knowledge about something isn’t bad, how do we take the next step of actually applying what we learn in class to our daily life? Do we simply learn facts and talk about Jesus or do we actually come to know who Jesus is in our life and try to live out His love for us in our daily lives?
We will get our ducks in order this Summer with Alpha so that we can roll it out this Fall.