Written by Joseph Asim.
The Catholic Varsity Students (CVS) of Church of the Divine Mercy, Shah Alam, began their 8-week Alpha CVS program on 26 October, 2025 with support from Parish Priest Rev Fr George Harrison and Alpha Malaysia. The last physical session was conducted 6 years ago in 2019, followed by an online session in 2021.
Alpha CVS was revived since CDM provides pastoral care for about 300 Catholic students in the parish. Alpha CVS is aimed to create a space where young people can openly explore life, faith, and meaning.
Before the first session began, an Alpha CVS Team Training was held on 18 October, 2025, conducted by Joseph Asim, Pastoral Coordinator for the Parish, and Dr. Lovelyna Jipiu, campus lecturer for CVS; both serve as Administrators for Alpha CVS. This training, attended by 40 CVS leaders from various campuses, was designed to introduce the background of the Alpha program, equip leaders with the necessary skills to facilitate it, and address its implementation within the context of CVS in CDM.
Following the training session, the CVS leaders conducted a discussion to allocate responsibilities such as Weekly Program Director, Host, Co-Host, Emcee, Praise & Worship, Food & Beverage, Audio Visual, and others.
The first session began on 26 October, with a registration of 150 students from various universities and colleges. The majority of participants were from UiTM (across three campuses), Xiamen University, Centexs, Help University, UOW, MSU, Perkasa Skills Institute, and Kolej Tingkatan 6, Shah Alam. Notably, this session also included participation from Indonesian students currently studying at Xiamen University Malaysia.
As part of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, and being Young Pilgrims of Hope, the Alpha CVS programme, which will run for eight weeks until 14 December 2025, will feature a variety of activities for participants during the Alpha Weekend, including pilgrimage, street walk, adoration, Christian meditation, and healing sessions.
A thoughtful ‘Care for Creation’ initiative by the Administrators involves providing each group a potted plant of various species. Group members will take turns bringing these plants back to their hostel to care for and nurture them, returning with the plant the following Sunday to place it on their group’s table. The responsibility then rotates to another member, ensuring everyone has a chance to participate.
Towards the end of the 12 sessions, a tiny green shoot will begin to poke through the soil of the potted plants — becoming a seedling. This seedling symbolizes the growth of each student’s faith, nurtured through shared questions, stories, and moments of grace. As Alpha CVS comes to a close, we celebrate how God has stirred something new in every heart, no matter where each person began, hence prepare them for their mission to spread the Good News.
By means of Alpha CVS, we are nurturing faith among our Catholic Varsity Students at CDM. This journey not only encourages spiritual growth, but also cultivates a vibrant sense of community, providing a supportive environment where students can form meaningful connections, share their experiences, and inspire one another to deepen their relationship with God.
Testimonial from some of the participants after attending Session 1
