Alpha: A «Light» Form of Evangelism That Is Leading Thousands of People to the Faith

At a time when many parishes are seeking new ways to reach out to those who have drifted away from the faith, Alpha courses have become one of the most widespread evangelization initiatives in various countries. Their approach combines conversation, a welcoming atmosphere, and open reflection on the big questions of life and the Christian faith. 

Although it has Anglican origins, Alpha has spread to many Christian denominations and today has a significant Catholic presence. In recent decades, dioceses, parishes, and Catholic movements in various countries have adopted this method as a tool for initial evangelization.

In Canada, one of the leading advocates for Alpha within the Catholic community is Ed Zadeiks, who has been promoting Alpha “in a Catholic context” for the past eight years. Zadeiks left a successful career in business to devote himself full-time to this evangelization initiative. It was his wife, Shawna, who introduced him to the courses. Both explain how an initiative that originated in the Anglican Church has found its own place within the Catholic Church.

The Origins of Alpha in Canada

The Zadeiks explain that the Holy Spirit blows wherever He wills: in this case, into the soul of Reverend Nicky Gumbel. Born in London in 1955, the son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother—neither of whom were practicing—he converted from atheism to Anglicanism during his first year at the University of Cambridge. A lawyer, married to Pippa, and father of three children, he was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1987. In 1990, he took over leadership of the Alpha courses. He “repositioned” these courses, which were already being offered at the Anglican church Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London: he decided to offer the courses to people outside the Church. Because it was so successful, he organized the first international conference at HTB in 1993… and a thousand Christian leaders attended. The international conferences have continued year after year. 

That is where Zadeiks has spent the most time with Gumbel. He tells me that he “has great love and admiration for Catholics.” Zadeiks adds that Pope Francis sent a video message for the start of the Leadership Conference May 6, 2024. The video was presented during the opening session by Gumbel and his wife. Francis said that Christian leaders must imitate Jesus through their lives of service, their approachability, and by showing the way to the Father. He encouraged the 5,000 delegates from 30 Christian denominations to be bearers of God’s tenderness and forgiveness. And he called on them to walk together with their eyes fixed on 2033, the two-thousandth anniversary of the Resurrection.

What is Alpha about?

Proclamation of the Christian truth, encounter with Jesus, community. Why not reverse the order of these three steps? This is the modus operandi of Gumbel and Alpha: 1. personal encounter with others, 2. personal encounter with Christ, 3. doctrine. And this reversal has yielded miraculous results.

The recipe for success is simple: a series of structured sessions designed to introduce people to the Christian faith, and an opportunity to explore the meaning of life. The courses are held in churches, homes, prisons, universities, offices, factories, coffee shops—anywhere. 

The courses themselves are typically held over a period of ten weeks, one day a week, plus one weekend. Each session may begin with lunch or dinner, followed by a talk or video and small-group discussions. The talks focus on basic Christian beliefs.

The ten weekly sessions and the retreat weekend cover these topics: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can we believe? Why and how should we pray? Why and how should we read the Bible? How does God guide us? The Holy Spirit (very important in the Alpha course). How can we resist evil? Why and how should we share this with others? Does God heal today? The Church. 

In that one, the one and only. Alpha Ecumenism .

Gumbel says he loves Catholics and all Christians, who, he says, belong “to a Church of 2.4 billion souls.” Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, praises the Alpha courses. Many bishops around the world support Alpha.

The first Alpha course was held in 1977 (at HTB). In 1990, Nicky Gumbel took over, gave the program a major boost, and oversaw a revision of the course. The courses grew rapidly in Great Britain during the 1990s. Today, they are taught in about a hundred countries and in 110 languages, and more than 25 million people have taken them. Participants come from both non-Catholic and Catholic Christian churches (25% of the total), with some variations in the course material. For this article, I asked three Canadian Catholic priests for their opinions on the course. One praised it, another had a positive experience, and the third preferred to draw inspiration from the method to create his own courses with more doctrinal content.

Beyond the numbers, some priests believe that the true impact of Alpha is seen in the renewal of local communities. This is the case for Father Michael Leclerc, pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Montreal, where Alpha courses have been offered for nine years. According to the Catholic Register Since its launch in Toronto on May 10, 2026, the initiative has helped transform the parish.

By putting those courses into practice with their four Rs—something real, relatable (someone you can relate to), hospitality radical and trust (reliance) In the Holy Spirit—Leclerc changed parishes. It is predominantly young, non-practicing Catholics—and even non-believers—who are drawn to the parish. The average age of parishioners has dropped to 40. And while there used to be 30 parish volunteers, there are now between 150 and 200. They will add a Sunday Mass starting in September. Leclerc implements these courses in conjunction with the Parish Renewal program created by another Canadian priest, Father James Mellon of Halifax, author ofA Divine Renewal: From a Parish Focused on Maintenance to a Missionary Parish and founder of the Divine Renovation Ministry, which operates in English- and German-speaking countries.

In the Spain's website From Alpha, it reads: “Alpha is a fun dinner, a great conversation, and an open discussion. No pressure, free, and appealing.” For Spanish-speaking Latin America, see pruebaalpha.org  (and a short video by Fr. Sebastián Achcar from Buenos Aires: pruebaalpha.org/historias-alpha ).