Catholic Alpha Youth… a “walk through”

Here are some reflections from some participants…

1) From CHRISTIE MELLY Anak Sirucoh (AKAYA Batch 27 / St Stephen Church):

Alpha Youth Series, a way for youth leaders to evangelise more youths! 

KUCHING – More than 50 young Catholics from different parishes under the Archdiocese of Kuching gathered at the Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) on  19 July 2025, a Saturday, for a formation session, especially for our KAYC Stewards, entitled Alpha Youth Series in Catholic Context.

Organised by Alpha Malaysia in collaboration with the Kuching Archdiocesan Youth Commission (KAYC), the event introduced youth leaders and participants to a new evangelisation tool tailored especially for the Gen Z youth (13 to 28 years young) called the Alpha Youth Series.

The day began with a prayer moment with Bible enthronement as highlight. This was led by the KAYC team, setting a reverent tone for the sessions. To ensure inclusivity, workshops were conducted in three languages—English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin—enabling participants to fully understand and appreciate the sessions and thus get more engaged.

The Alpha Youth Series, which runs for over 10 weeks, aims to help young people explore life, faith, and meaning in an open and friendly environment. Facilitators shared how the content can be effectively used in youth ministry, particularly highlighting how sessions 6 and 7 are often combined into a full-day retreat known as Alpha Youth Day. And this we can do in a very Catholic way… especially by having the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confessions (We thank Fr Ramon, Fr Andre and Fr Delphin, all Salesians of Don Bosco, for spending time with us in the afternoon to offer us Holy Confessions.), by having Marian prayer practices, and by adding sessions that dwell on the Catholic Church, saints, sacramentals, social teachings, and the likes. 

Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to embrace four key values: Be Real, Be Relational, Be Reliant, and Be Reproducible. These principles are essential in creating a space where youths feel safe to express themselves without fear of judgment.

On a personal note, one of the most memorable moments during this day of formation for me is when we were asked to form groups of three individuals, and we were asked to pray over one another. It was a heart-touching moment for me and  you could really feel the presence of God among us. I believe that Alpha Youth Series can be one way to evangelise more young people to our Catholic church and help us know, love and serve God more by listening and caring for one another.

This day of Godly formation concluded with no less than the celebration of the Holy Mass with Fr Ramon SDB as presider… which, in a meditative way, led to a moment of personal and profound silence with the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed, a blessed day! 

2) From CATHERINE 魏令宜（星火少团）:

我印象最深刻的是关于“建立关系”的环节。我认为无论做什么事，都必须以建立良好关系为前提，才能更顺利地进行。只是我常常会忘记这一点，所以那天之后，我一直提醒自己要更加重视人与人之间的关系。

另外，“当面为对方祈祷”对我来说是全新的体验。过去我都是私下为别人祈祷，这是第一次当着对方的面，询问他们的需要并针对这些需要祈祷。祈祷完后，我感受到一种非常特别的满足感，就像“对症下药”般的幸福。

3) From Angelia Rhine Anak Christopher Rhine and friends (SMK St Theresa YCS) :

> “It was great! And it was my first time to attend a program like this. I think for my friends too. And it felt good with me and my friends having this together.A totally new experience for me and maybe for some of us too!”

> “We learned a lot of new things. What I appreciate most is learning how to gather the youth by using ALPHA youth formation series. We can apply ALPHA in our YCS or any youth meetings in our schools or elsewhere. It is one way for everyone to connect and get to know each other and love God more! 

> “It was fun because I was surrounded by my friends. And also, if it weren’t for them, I couldn’t have figured out what to do. I hope we can have more of this, and I get to be with my friends for the upcoming youth activities! Together, closer to God and with one another.”

4) From ELIAS HII (St Mark Church, Chinese Youth) : 

The role-playing session with on-the-spot feedback was very practical and effective. I would suggest making the session longer to allow for more in-depth practice. 

The use of multiple languages in different sessions was a great idea, as it enabled everyone to participate fully in their comfort languages.  

I was also surprised by the adoration after the Holy Mass because it brought a wonderful balance and substance to the whole event. 

I would recommend improving the promotional efforts to increase attendance in the future to ensure more people can benefit from this valuable knowledge. ⛪

5) From ANGELA (BSC Chinese Youth Ministry): 

It was my first time joining the Catholic Alpha Youth program. As a first-time helper in the Alpha Chinese Youth this year, I think this training was definitely a great opportunity for me to learn more about what Alpha means and how we could use Alpha to let more teenagers learn about Catholicism/Christianity. 

There was a session where we had to role play as a group and we were given different roles such as, Host, Helper, Skeptic, etc. I picked “Host” and, to be honest, I was nervous, hahaha, but thank goodness, while we were role playing, Joyce would come in and tell us what are the Dos and Don’ts in order to conduct the discussion in group. It allows me to learn how to communicate among those who are in different roles, especially in the future when we have Gen-Alpha among us. 

I myself also had a tiny breakthrough where we were split into smaller groups and we had to do ‘praying over’ for each other. I’m not very great at praying especially when I’m around people, but I believe this small step glorifies my papa God above and I’m thankful!

6) From LAURA DINES (BSC / 11th Kuching Girls Brigade officer-lieutenant):

Overall I enjoyed the flow of the entire program. 

I like how we started off and ended with Fr Ramon’s sharing and mass + adoration + confession. I think that gives us an idea on how to run Alpha with our own ministry/church next time. 

Also it was good to separate the sessions according to languages as well.

In conclusion…

Big THANKS to all participants and organisers. 

May we have more of this and may more be blessed by this!