Can a parish really become missionary? What if the answer begins with just one transformed life?
If you're longing to see your parish become a place where people truly encounter Jesus, this conversation will encourage and challenge you.
Many parish leaders wonder how to move from maintenance to mission. Others wonder whether evangelization actually works. In this episode, you'll hear two remarkable testimonies that answer those questions—not with theories or strategies, but with lived experience.
👉 Take the Parish Missional Health Assessment at HuntleyLeadership.com to discover where your parish is on the path to renewal.
For years, Ann O'Brien prayed that her daughter would come to know Christ—not simply return to church, but encounter Jesus personally. After decades away from the faith herself, Ann experienced a profound conversion that led her into parish leadership and missionary renewal. Her daughter Stephanie wanted nothing to do with Christianity, mocked her mother's faith, and resisted every invitation to Alpha—until one unexpected encounter changed everything.
Together, they share two deeply personal stories of God's patient pursuit, the power of testimony, and how creating intentional spaces for encounter has transformed not only their own family, but the culture of their parish.
This conversation is ultimately about far more than Alpha. It's about what happens when ordinary Catholics discover that evangelization isn't about having all the answers—it's about making room for the Holy Spirit to work.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why authentic testimony is one of the Church's most powerful tools for evangelization.
- The difference between inviting people to church and inviting them into a relationship with Jesus.
- How patient, faithful leadership can slowly transform parish culture over time.
- What happens when people experience the Gospel in a way that moves from the head to the heart.
- Why creating intentional spaces for encounter is essential for missionary renewal.
- How perseverance through resistance can eventually bear unexpected fruit.
- The prayer every parent and grandparent should consider praying for loved ones who have drifted from the faith.
About Our Guests:
Ann O'Brien spent most of her career in the corporate world before encountering Jesus in 2019 in a way she never knew was possible. That experience transformed her life and led her into parish leadership, where she now serves as Evangelisation Coordinator and a member of her parish leadership team. She has helped lead Alpha, develop leaders, and foster a culture of missionary renewal within her parish.
Stephanie O'Brien experienced a dramatic turning point after crying out to Jesus during one of the darkest moments of her life. Renewed through prayer, the sacraments, and Alpha, she now serves on her parish's Alpha team and passionately shares her testimony to help others discover the same hope, healing, and love she encountered in Christ.
Links:
📍 Parish Missional Health Assessment
https://huntleyleadership.com
📍 Huntley Leadership Podcast Hub
huntleyleadership.com/podcast
📍 St. Catherine of Siena Parish (Caroline Springs, Australia)
https://www.facebook.com/St.Catherine.Siena.CarolineSprings.Australia
Follow Stephanie O'Brien
Instagram: @stephanieeobrienn
Facebook: Stephanie O'Brien
TikTok: @oooobrien
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Alpha
- Missionary Parish Renewal
- The Five Systems of a Healthy Parish
- RCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Revelation 3:20
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
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