It has been quite some time since my last blog post. It isn’t because I quit or gave up. Like many others, I’ve just had a whole lot going on in my life since the end of COVID. Good things, mostly, so I’ve been storing up stories to share! Many already know this, but here’s a quick update! First is my new job. About two years ago I started as a Lead Counsel at Wells Fargo with an entirely new portfolio. I now work in the Consumer Lending Credit Card Marketing business. It isn’t anything like Mad Men, but I find it fascinating. More importantly, we have TWO new grandchildren, Annika and Archer (yes, all FOUR grandkids – and their grandmother Amy – have names that start with the letter A!); we said goodbye to our longtime buddy, Buster (the icon dog of Papa Pete’s Prose); and adopted a new rescue puppy, Luna. All will get their own introductions in due time.

As if that wasn’t enough, after extensive research and visits to area churches, Amy & I joined The Church of Saint Peter, a Catholic Church in Mendota, Minnesota. St. Peter’s was the first church in the territory of Minnesota. We found it fit best with our traditional Catholic preference and we greatly enjoyed the friendliness of the parishioners, the music, and the manner of the celebration of Mass.

One of our objectives was also to find a parish where we could find belonging. We loved our previous parish, Saint Augustine, in the town of Elkridge, Maryland, but regretted that we never got involved in parish life outside of regular Mass. After a time at St. Peter’s we read a bulletin announcement about a program the parish sponsored called Alpha. There was very little information about what Alpha was, but the announcement suggested it was an opportunity to question God and faith. I was raised in a mixed Catholic and Lutheran family, so was intrigued. Amy, who had a more traditional Catholic upbringing, agreed to attend. I think her motive was to meet more people in the community. That we did.

I thought I was in for a more in-depth discovery of Catholicism. We did get a bit of that, but not exactly in the way I’d envisioned. Nope, Alpha is more of a soup-to-nuts exploration of the Christian faith in general than any sort of Catholic Catechism. It did include some Catholic-centric programming, but that was merely due to sponsorship by a Catholic Church. There was no push toward any Christian denomination or attempt to convert non-Catholic attendees.

Alpha is a program that creates space for honest, open, and judgment-free conversations for anyone to explore the Christian faith. It is a 12-week course. We met Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Along the way we explored questions such as:

Is there more to life than this? Who is Jesus? How can I have faith?

Why and how should I pray? How can I resist evil?  Why did Jesus die?

These, and many other questions, start the journey. Each participant is assigned a table with a group of about 10-12 people. Each session started with a short intro and joke, then a wonderful meal followed by a 30+/- minute video and a group discussion. We ended promptly at 8:30, though there were times when the group insisted on pushing that boundary by a few minutes.

By about week 4, our group had bonded. We ventured far beyond the Alpha topics and delved into spouses, children, grandchildren and dogs. One of the members of our group was involved in a dog rescue organization. We learned about her litters of puppies and shared stories of our various dogs. Others missed sessions due to travel, so we chatted their experiences, which gave us ideas about new places to visit. It was during one of our later sessions that we had to announce the severe injury and agonizing decision to euthanize Buster. We quickly received a healthy dollop of sympathy. This ultimately led to us fostering several dogs before settling on Luna.

One interesting take-away (besides the off-topic chatter) was the differing perspectives that each of our table-mates brought to Alpha. Some were lifelong Catholics, some were new Christians, some were of other faiths altogether. We were able to talk through deeply religious topics without judgment or heated exchanges. Yes, there was disagreement, but nothing that would affect our friendships. We all grew in our personal faith journeys and learned great lessons from each other.

Tragedy struck our group when the husband of one of our members passed away. We had already learned of her husband’s struggle with Alzheimers. During several gatherings she had shared the pain of a caregiver. Our entire group was shocked when she dutifully appeared at our next session – she considered us extended family and couldn’t fathom missing a meeting. The outpouring of love and support was incredible!

By the end of the 12 weeks, no one wanted to quit our weekly gatherings. In addition to what we learned in our personal faith journeys, we really had become sort of family. We knew each other’s hopes and fears and loved each other without question. If someone was in need, there was no doubt the others would rally to support. All due to Alpha.

Round 2:

I guess once wasn’t enough for me. I answered the call to serve as a table host for the next Alpha session the following Spring. Though Amy didn’t join me (frequent calls for grandmother duty), four members of our initial group signed up as table hosts or helpers. It was great to continue regular interactions with Margaret, Joe, and Linda for the new session!

I was a bit apprehensive knowing how wonderful our previous Alpha had been and tried to temper my expectations. My apprehension was only amplified when I found myself with a brand new group of strangers, only this time I was a table host responsible to keep the conversation moving. Due to the personalities of this group compared to the previous one, the conversation dragged. Fortunately, because of the meal and the video, there really wasn’t all that much time to fill.

Lo and behold, it was again at about week 4 that something clicked. I can’t explain what happened, but the group really started to open up. As the weeks went on, we all experienced the same friendship and love that I remembered from my first Alpha experience. This group had much wider age differential, which may have started us slow, but the group did start to gel at around the same point. My brother and sister attended a celebration dinner at the end our session and were impressed with the great camaraderie of the team. I was hooked!

Round 3

Yup, I’ve signed up again for Alpha! I learn so much about my faith, myself, and others during each session that I just can’t seem to let it go. I’ve volunteered to do whatever I can - table host, general helper, food service, provide testimonials – just to stay involved. This is such a wonderful program that I’ve found worthwhile. It has helped me grow in many ways, not just in my faith.

When I first started blogging, my objective was to share lessons, heroes, and influences from my life. Just being around like-minded individuals has increased my desire to grow in faith in ways I never considered before. Alpha has influence me greatly and I can only hope that it might also do so for others.

Our next Alpha starts on Monday, February 19, 2024. Please consider joining if you are in the Twin Cities area. This is open to all! A wonderful perk beyond faith and friendship is FOOD. We always start off every session with a great (and free) meal. You can simply contact me for details. If you are not local, I encourage you to look up an Alpha program in your area. Check it out at: https://alpha.org/try-alpha/