“When I heard the story of the prodigal son, it wrecked me. I thought: that’s me. I’ve been running, and still, the Father wants me home.” -Dan, parishioner at St.Joseph's Vanderhoof, Canada
Eric Myatt | December 2025
There might be a temptation by some to say that parish renewal is only possible in urban or suburban settings. That it’s for the Montreals and the Halifaxes of the world.
But I want you to know that we’ve seen these principles applied and bear fruit in so many different contexts, in so many different countries, cultures, and communities.
I’m convinced it works.
Take a small, rural parish in northern British Columbia, for example.
St. Joseph’s in Vanderhoof is a small rural parish comprised of approximately 75 families. The community’s economy is supported by logging and farming.
Parish Priest, Fr. Pier, wears a lot of hats to keep things going. But when a parishioner gave him the book, Divine Renovation: Bringing Your Parish from Maintenance to Mission he was struck by its call to mission. He built a small team of volunteer lay leaders — there was no money to hire any staff. He starting leading from a team and using a tool called Alpha that helps share the faith in a clear and simple way.
They started small: a few parishioners praying by name for people in their lives who didn’t know Jesus. They ran Alpha, personally invited friends — anyone. They were nervous no one would come.
And then something happened.
People showed up.
“It was like someone turned the lights on. I didn’t hear an audible voice, but I knew in the depths of my soul - Jesus was real, and He loved me.”
Evangelization became a word they didn’t just hear in a bishop’s letter, but one they started to live. I asked if they wouldn’t mind if I shared a story with you to show how Divine Renovation principles work in many contexts. Here is one they sent me:
Dan grew up in a small town where going to church was just “what people did”. But by the time he hit his twenties, he had walked away completely. Church felt like an empty ritual. God seemed distant, maybe not even real at all.
“I wasn’t just far from God. I was running in the opposite direction – and proud of it,” Dan says.
“I thought faith was a crutch for people who couldn’t face life. I didn’t need it. I had my job, my weekends, my freedom. Or so I thought.”
He filled the silence with work, relationships, and the next thrill. But the emptiness only deepened.
Then one evening, a friend invited him to Alpha at St. Joseph’s.
“Honestly, I only went for the free food and because I didn’t want to offend my buddy. But something unexpected happened.”
Week by week, Dan heard about Jesus — not as an idea or a distant figure, but as a person who knew him, loved him, and had died for him.
“When I heard the story of the prodigal son, it wrecked me. I thought: that’s me. I’ve been running, and still, the Father wants me home.”
On the Alpha weekend away, during a quiet moment of prayer, Dan encountered the presence of God for the first time.
“It was like someone turned the lights on. I didn’t hear an audible voice, but I knew in the depths of my soul — Jesus was real, and He loved me.”
Everything changed. Slowly at first. He started praying. He began to read Scripture. He went to confession for the first time in over 15 years.
“I walked in terrified. I walked out free. Honestly, I cried like a baby.”
Now, Dan serves on his parish’s hospitality team. He leads an Alpha small group. He’s discerning how he might share the Gospel in his workplace.
Your story matters.
Everyone has a story to share. What’s yours? Email us at [email protected] and inspire other parish leaders and fuel the movement with hope.
“I’m not perfect. I still mess up. But I’m not who I was. I met Jesus — and He’s the reason I get up every day with purpose.” Dan shares, “I don’t just go to church now. I am the Church. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
In the rural town of Vanderhoof, Canada, in the small parish of St. Joseph, someone who was far away from God came to know him through Jesus. This fruit came about not by using an exact method but by applying principles of parish renewal.
And your parish can do this too.
