Kiwi bishop to speak at Sydney Alpha conference

At the “Way of Hope” Alpha Catholic Conference on October 31-November 1, Bishop Gielen will share how tools like Alpha and Divine Renovation have become effective in helping personal renewal and community strengthening.

Bishop Gielen told The Catholic Weekly about running an Alpha programme in a parish some years ago.

The bishop said that he told parishioners then: “If you know Jesus already, you won’t mind hearing more about him. If you don’t know him personally, then let’s help you know him and then you might want to share him.” 

The results were startling and immediate, he recalls.

“Suddenly we saw an entire parish renewed and coming back to church and bringing their kids, because they’re like, ‘Wow, I just experienced Jesus in a new way.’” 

The cathedral parish in Christchurch now runs two Alpha programmes annually. The bishop said that, in three former parishes, united around evangelisation, they are “seeing people come back to their faith in larger numbers than we’ve experienced before”.

His message ahead of the Sydney conference is clear: “Transformation is possible. It can be done.” 

“It’s the most life-giving thing to see someone’s life change because they’ve encountered Jesus,” he said of the transformation he has seen.  

“To see their life changed. Their families, their marriages, the healing that happens, transforms. I want to talk about that; that when you do empower people in your parishes you become a lighthouse, a fire that attracts others and shares the light.” 

Now, more than ever, Bishop Gielen is calling on the faithful, to stop “being passengers” and become leaders in their parish. 

“The Church has sort of done it all for us and we’ve just been happy passengers. So that’s the challenge for us as Catholics,” he said. 

FULL STORY

Powerful message to be shared at Way of Hope conference (By Darren Ally/The Catholic Weekly)