The Holy Spirit Is Moving — And the Church Is Recognizing It!

A Mission that Unites Us

Men and women from different countries, cultures, and parishes gathered at StJE on Wednesday, Sept. 23 as part of a three-day Alpha "On Mission" Conference with St. Clement Parish in Chicago. Filled with so many different backgrounds and experiences, attendees havearrived at remarkably similar conclusions about what the Church needs today!

How is it that Catholics in places as different as Taiwan; Australia; Omaha, Nebraska; New York; Chicago, Illinois, and our own St. John, Indiana can gather together and begin talking about the same things?

The Holy Spirit. That was one of the striking realities Father Sammie Maletta recognized through the “On Mission” experience with St. Clement. He notes that what is happening in our parish is being echoed by Catholics and Catholic leaders thousands of miles away. They are asking similar questions, wrestling with similar challenges, and discovering similar truths about evangelization, discipleship, and parish renewal.

It is not simply a coincidence. The Holy Spirit is moving throughout the Church—stirring hearts, challenging leaders, and leading people in different places toward the same fundamental truths, says Father Maletta.

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The Holy Spirit isn't confined by geography. He doesn't need every parish to have the same building, the same music, the same programs, or even the same culture. But He does lead the Church toward the same mission: to encounter Jesus Christ, to become His disciples and make disciples.

That is how Catholics in places as different as Taiwan, Australia, Germany, Hawaii, Nebraska, New York, Illinois, and Indiana can gather together and begin talking about many of the same things.

That brings us to Alpha. Father Maletta says it plainly: “We would not be who we are without Alpha.”

At SJE, Alpha has never been simply another program to put on the parish calendar. It has helped the parish rediscover something fundamental: people don't simply need more information about Catholicism. They need an encounter with Jesus Christ. Now the search is on for next steps, which begins with leaders. That’s where Father’s book,“Be Disciples, Make Disciples: Eight Leadership Principles to Build a Spirit-Driven, Vision-Focused Parish," is insightful.

A leader has to lead from where he has been. You cannot lead someone into an encounter with Jesus if you have not encountered Him yourself. You cannot confidently invite someone into a relationship with Christ if your own relationship with Christ remains distant or theoretical.

In other words, it starts with you. A genuine encounter with Jesus allows the Holy Spirit to reveal what needs to change—our pride, fears, attachments and desire for control. Jesus doesn't simply become an addition to the life we've built; He transforms it.

That transformation is essential for anyone who wants to lead others. We can become familiar with the things of the Church while losing sight of the Person at its heart. Jesus Christ is a Person—and encountering Him changes everything. But then you will find out it is not about you!

From Club Member to Believer to Disciple

While we have to meet people where they are, we also have to help them move along their journey of faith.

There are people Father calls club members—people for whom Catholicism is part of their family, culture, or identity. They may attend Mass and participate in parish life, but faith can remain something they belong to rather than something that has radically transformed them.

Then there are believers. They believe in God. They pray. They may sincerely want a relationship with Him. But sometimes the relationship remains somewhat transactional: I'll do my part, God, and You do Yours. It's like standing at a screen door. The door is there. It's unlocked. But eventually, somebody has to open it and walk through.

Then comes the disciple. A disciple doesn't simply believe in Jesus. A disciple surrenders to Jesus. A disciple begins asking not merely, “What do I want?” but “Lord, what do You want from me?” And when a parish begins to develop a critical mass of people living as disciples, something changes. Alpha helps with that. And when the people change, the parish culture changes.

So what Is the Holy Spirit Doing?

There is a tremendous difference between saying, “Here is our plan, Holy Spirit. Please bless it,” and beginning with the question: “Holy Spirit, what are You doing? Where are You moving? What are You asking of us?” Then comes the difficult part: “Give us the courage and grace to follow.”

All of the attendees of the conference had the same hunger for authentic evangelization, the same recognition that people need an encounter with Jesus, and the same realization that discipleship cannot remain theoretical.

They recognize that we must move beyond simply maintaining parish life toward actually making disciples. As Father Maletta says, the Holy Spirit is reminding His Church of something we have to follow…Jesus' command in Matthew 28, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” It wasn't: “Go, therefore, and make people who attend your programs.”

Making disciples of all the nations is the mission. And perhaps the Holy Spirit is stirring Catholics in different corners of the world to hear that command with fresh ears.

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Same Mission. Different Expression.

So some 50 people from throughout the United States and the world came to SJE on Wednesday, September 23rd to learn and talk more about Mission. The Holy Spirit doesn't make every parish look the same. He doesn't have to.

Alpha may look different at SJE than it does in Hawaii. A parish in Germany may approach evangelization differently from a parish in Omaha, Nebraska. A Catholic community in Taiwan may face challenges that look completely different from those in Northwest Indiana.

But while the methods and ministries may differ, the mission remains the same: Encounter Jesus. Become His disciple. Surrender to the Holy Spirit. Make disciples.

That is why Alpha matters to SJE. Not because Alpha is the answer to everything. But because Alpha has helped us recognize the Person who is the answer to everything: Jesus Christ.

And perhaps that is the bigger story emerging from this gathering of Catholics from around the world. We aren't simply running a program. We are witnessing something much more beautiful:

The Holy Spirit is moving. And He is leading His Church—sometimes from places as far apart as Taiwan and Hawaii; Germany and Omaha, Nebraska; Australia and St. John, Indiana—to rediscover the same ancient, beautiful truth: We are not called merely to maintain the Church. We are called to be disciples who make disciples.

It seems the question for everyone isn't simply, “What is our parish going to do next?” It is more like: “Holy Spirit, what are You doing—and will we have the courage to follow?”