Over two inspiring days, the Alpha Catholic Conference ignited the faith of more than 200 Catholics from across Australia, providing a powerful celebration of formation, fellowship, and expert guidance.
Attendees were equipped and energised to deepen their faith and boldly transform their parishes and communities.
Themed “The Way of Hope,” the conference – held at the Liverpool Catholic Club on 31 October and 1 November – embraced Alpha’s signature approach of content, connection, and conversation to ignite faith, equip leaders, and renew hearts.
“We’re here to be encouraged for the mission that Christ has given us,” said organiser, Tania Rimac, from the Parish Renewal Team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation and leader of Alpha in a Catholic Context in NSW.
“We’ve all gathered all from across Australia to come to share in this witness of being Christ’s disciples. And sometimes we need a little bit of courage, and we get that from each other,” she reflected.
For some, the conference was a chance to renew a well-established mission; for others, it was an invitation to begin one.
Tania Chahoud, who has led several successful Alpha programs in her parish in Enfield, came to recharge and reignite her commitment to serve.
“In order to be able to nourish others, I need to be nourished as well. That’s my fuel to bring others to the faith,” she said.
For 18-year-old Blake Birkinshaw, the conference opened new possibilities.
Encouraged by his parish to attend, he came hoping to discern a call to youth ministry and take his next step in faith.
“My parish encouraged me to come down, learn more about Alpha, to grow in my faith and see what the Lord has called me to become,” he reflected.
The day proved to be a feast of inspiration for both current and emerging leaders like Tania and Blake as influential voices took the stage, among them Bishop Michael Gielen from Christchurch, New Zealand.
After a warm welcome from Ben Higgins, National Director of Alpha Australia, Bishop Gielen opened the conference with a powerful keynote address on the theme “The Way of Hope.”
Centreing his message on the call to evangelisation, he challenged attendees to reflect deeply on the questions, “Who are you having the conversation with about Christ and evangelisation? Who is your why?”
Bishop Gielen shared the moving story of a young man whose life was transformed through Alpha, from battling addiction to becoming a community leader, illustrating the profound, life-changing power of faith.
“It’s all about Jesus,” he reminded the audience.
“To be here with so many leaders from across the country it’s been a privilege and joy to be here,” Bishop Gielen told The Catholic Weekly.
Selina Hasham, the CEO of Harvest Journeys, spoke on the topic of pilgrimage with the theme: ‘The Spirit of Hope and the Christian Journey’.
Hasham highlighted how pilgrimage can be a profound encounter with God, sharing the story of a young pilgrim named Michael, who experienced a moment of divine presence during World Youth Day that deepened his awareness of God’s presence and reality.
“It’s real, isn’t it?” he had asked Selena.
But these encounters don’t have to happen on mountain tops or on pilgrimage, explained Selena. “They can happen doing the dishes.”
Guided by the MCs, the conference opened with icebreakers and open-table discussions that quickly fostered a spirit of community and fraternity among participants.
Across both days, breakout sessions offered focused talks on key aspects of evangelisation – from engaging in spiritual conversation, through social media to accompanying married couples in faith.
Day one also featured an insightful panel discussion with Bishop Tony Percy before drawing to a close with a powerful evening of Eucharistic adoration.
In the stillness of prayer and song, hearts were lifted, and the presence of Christ was deeply felt, a beautiful and moving reminder of the hope at the heart of the conference.
Day two opened with Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel Meagher and featured Sr Elena Marie Piteo, a Dominican Sister of St Cecilia, Nashville Tennessee, who spoke on “building resilience through faith”.
Sr Elena highlighted three key components of resilience: discovering life’s meaning and purpose, involvement in community, and growth in virtue.
In an engaging and thought-provoking keynote titled, “A hope that sends: living faith and transforming parish life,” Daniel Ang, Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, challenged participants “to be a people whose hope acts and becomes flesh”.
“Let us pray deeply, plan wisely, and serve boldly,” he urged.
“Hope that stays on the page is not hope at all – it must move, build, and transform.”
Drawing on the story of Moses and the mission of Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Daniel illustrated how God is continually at work in our everyday lives, inviting each of us to join in his mission – to rebuild his church with courage, creativity, and a hope that endures.
Steve Harrison from St Michael’s in Baulkham Hills believed Daniel’s talk “grounds you back into your whole mission, why we do this stuff and makes you reflect on how you’re doing things in your parish and to seek out advice from others to be better, do better”.
Day two closed with an address from Bishop Richard Umbers and Paul ‘Skip’ Smith, Church Engagement Lead from Alpha Australia who shared the impact of this Catholic conference and partnership with the Archdiocese of Sydney upon his own faith.
“We hope that people take away whatever that little next step is for them,” offered Tania.
“There are people that are running Alphas. Let’s hope that they’re running better Alphas, hoping that they will see the significance of investing in their teams, of seeing the gifts that are around them, inviting people into the roles that will really bring them alive in their own faith.”
