Alex reaches out to those who feel isolated in their faith

Ordination to the Diaconate of Alex Osborne
Friday 23 November @ 7:00 PM
St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka ACT

Some people receive their calling in a supportive and nurturing environment of faith.  Alex Osborne’s experience was quite different. Outside of the strong support he received at home from his family, he felt isolated.

Alex will be ordained a Deacon on November 23 at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra.

Today, he is strong and confident in the love of God and lives in a supportive community of faith. But it wasn’t always that way.

When he first began to seriously contemplate life as a priest at the age of 16, Alex felt isolated and alone, with few of his peers sharing his faith or beliefs and few role models and mentors to follow and be guided by.

“I started to feel like I was the last young Catholic man in Canberra, if not the rest of Australia,” he said.

It was, he remembers, a challenging time that could have led to despair and uncertainty, but instead, as he searched and prayed, he found other like-minds along the way. Like-minds, and like-souls, who shared and supported his faith.

 “It was a challenge, but as I struggled, I came to realise how valuable the faith is,” Alex recounts.

Poignant memories

In 2011, Alex enrolled in the Good Shepherd Seminary in Homebush. He recalls his time there as joyous and supportive, but he never forgot the poignancy of his own challenges.

He retained an empathy for those experiencing the same feelings of isolation, and a desire to do something about it. So much so, it remains his primary aim… to reach out to others who feel isolated in their journey of faith.

“I want to support and encourage any young Catholic who feels like I did, like they were the last one, and then also to support those great many Catholics out there that feel as if they are the last ones,” Alex said.

“When I become a priest, I want to tell people… I want to shout it from the roof tops… that our church has got a future and that they have a future in Christ.”

“Over the last eight years I’ve been nothing but happily surprised to see the growing numbers of young people sharing their faith, growing deeper in it, and more than anything else, the witness of so many others dedicating their lives to God.”

Alex said he is particularly excited about his impending Ordination as it presents an opportunity to share his faith. He sees his calling as an opportunity to dedicate his life to the service of others.

And, as with his earliest experience of faith, he acknowledges that he cannot do it alone… that he needs support

“I don’t just want people to pray for me, I NEED it,” he said.

“Start right now.”