As the most recent Alpha was drawing to a close, I had an enjoyable and inspiring conversation with one of the participants, Nicole Sewards. With her permission, I can share some aspects of her faith journey and Alpha experience with you.

Nicole was raised by her grandparents. She wasn’t baptized and didn’t attend church regularly. However, she did attend from time to time, and maintained a distant interest in Christian faith. In her adult life her curiosity tugged at her and she developed friendships with some Catholic women.

It was because of the Catholic women in a group called Ora at Saint Benedict that she was drawn to the parish. While attending Mass at Saint Benedict last January her curiosity was piqued and she became determined to explore Catholicism. By July she had received many recommendations from her friends, so she decided to take Alpha.

Nicole found the weekly nights fed her curiosity and led her to regularly read scripture. As the weeks progressed she enjoyed the discussions with her table group, and over time she began to think of their table as a ‘little church’. They began to develop personal prayer that they shared in their time together, and which Nicole expanded to a ‘prayer corner’ in her home. Alpha presented questions that challenged not just her mind, but also her heart. 

At Alpha’s Holy Spirit weekend, she experienced an inexplicable feeling of warmth, like being hugged. Her table group had developed close emotional ties over the weeks, and Nicole felt comfortable confronting feelings of being unloved at times growing up. Her encounter with the Holy Spirit awakened in her a new sense of belonging and new way of being loved. She said that on the Alpha weekend, “everything came alive.”

As the Alpha course concluded, Nicole decided on her next steps in the journey of faith. She has committed to participating in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the formal steps of joining the church. She looks forward to being baptized, receiving the Eucharist, and confirmation. She treasures the friends she has made in the parish and feels a true sense of belonging. Nicole’s story is a compelling testimony to the power of evangelization through Alpha and to the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit among us.