Moments before ascending to Heaven, Jesus told his disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). In this new apostolic age, we are called to do the same: to bring those we meet into a loving relationship with Jesus. Among the many parishes making this move to mission, one Denver parish is seeing tremendous fruits along the way. Three years ago, Father Luc Vaillant, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Denver, prayed fervently that God would send him a lay couple to help in the parish’s evangelization efforts. Shortly after that, God answered his prayer in the Syzeks. In partnership with Father Vaillant, Matthew and Shannon launched their parish’s participation in Alpha, an international program meant to provide a warm, supportive place for seekers to encounter Jesus and his Church. Having recently finished their sixth session, the program’s impact can be clearly seen, with the parish welcoming 26 people into the Church this year, a five-fold increase over three years. “Alpha has transformed the spirit of the parish,” Father Vaillant told the Denver Catholic. “The spirit of Alpha makes its way up into the church. It has changed the way parishioners interact with each other. There has been so much fruit!” “Now we have somewhere to invite people we meet that might be far away from the Church,” he continued. “We don’t necessarily invite them right to Mass, but to Alpha, to a community where they can come as they are and feel loved.” The community setting has been transformative for participants, who return session after session and even bring friends, family, neighbors and strangers along. Such was the case for Rich and his family. “I was going through a lot of darkness. I was going down into a pit,” Rich shared. “Even though I had my family and knew what love was, I never understood what true love and acceptance were until I met God.” Amid that darkness, Rich found himself pacing his living room one day, yelling at God, moments from telling his wife he no longer believed in God. “If you’re real, show me!” he cried out. At that precise moment, his doorbell rang, and Rich opened the door to find Chuck on his front stoop. The St. Catherine’s parishioner and his teammate were out in the neighborhood visiting homes and sharing the loving word of God. Accidentally, or providentially, they found themselves at Rich’s front door, a block off their pre-determined route. “I just knocked on the door, and when Rich answered, I told him, ‘Jesus Christ loves you right where you are today,” Chuck said. In the tear-filled conversation that followed, Rich was convinced of God’s love for him and his fidelity in answering the prayers of his people. “God actually does hear us,” he said. “He heard me; he can hear you too.” From there, Rich participated in his first Alpha at St. Catherine of Siena. In this community, he found answers to questions he had been struggling with, a community to walk with him, and the support he needed in his faith. Rich was welcomed into the Church on Pentecost alongside his sponsor, Chuck, and his marriage to his wife, Anissa, will be convalidated in the near future. The experience was profoundly transformative not only for him but for his family as well. “The moment I met God, I wanted to bring my family, and it’s affected us,” Rich shared. “It’s affected us. I brought my daughters, my family, my best friend.” Along with his entire family, including his wife and daughters, Rich brought along his friend and coworker, who then brought his girlfriend to Alpha. Each had their own powerful moment of connection with the Lord through the community they encountered, and the transformations compounded. “God became more of a part of my life,” said Alyssa, Rich’s oldest daughter. “I’m reading the Bible and praying more. Maybe not as much as I should, but I am praying!” “Alpha has opened my eyes to God. He’s here for me,” she continued. “I’ve felt more at peace. I found a new family for me,” said Evangeline, one of Alyssa’s friends who came with her to Alpha at St. Catherine of Siena. “It made me more accepting of God’s love.” Alyssa and Evangeline even brought Alpha to their Denver public school as a student-led club, a courageous move that led countless other students to encounter the love of God. Despite the challenges thrown at them, the girls adapted and persevered, seeing about 15 public school students attend club sessions. Students even raced them to the classroom on the day of the last session. “It was clear that people became more open to God,” said Alyssa. “One girl said she knew other Catholics and thought they were strict and all about rules, but through Alpha, she saw that we can be more loving.” Next year, the girls plan to start a student-led bible study club and welcome back many Alpha participants with whom they forged real, lasting friendships. Today, nearly two years after that providential ringing of the doorbell, Rich and his family’s lives have changed profoundly. Though he never would have thought that God would go after him, the one lost sheep, so intentionally, Rich has found a home for his family and himself in the Catholic Church. “When I think of the lives changed, it’s the love,” organizer Shannon Syzek concluded. “We have people being of service to one another, being the hands and feet of Christ, that weren’t even a part of the Church before!”
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