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December Prayer Intentions
- For Christmas homilies: that preachers engage visitors through a homily that speaks to their hearts, so that the Holy Spirit will draw them into (or back into) their faith.
- For the recruiting of priests: that clergy who are now considering participation in the 2026 Preaching for Encounter cohort will have willing and open hearts to say yes to that invitation.
- For the troubles around the world: that preachers everywhere will offer a word of hope, peace, and joy for those who are hurting and in pain.
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Wishing You the Peace of Christ
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May the light of Christ shine in your heart for all to see, and may someone you love be inspired by your faith. All of us at the Institute for Homiletics wish you a blessed Christmas season.
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Preach Boldly, Connect Deeply + Our Preacher's Wall of Honor
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Thank you to everyone who has already named a preacher for our Wall of Honor and made a donation in their name. We look forward to the number of preachers being honored continuing to grow. Here is an excerpt of one of our honorees who has been named so far.
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🔥Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, NJ
“I have known him since 1977. His homilies are always precise (and not too long)... He speaks from the heart and has always touched and inspired me.”
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(Note, if you do not have a preacher who comes to mind, this may be an even more compelling reason to give - to support a preacher's ability to be more effective.)
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Wondering how this initiative aligns with a myriad of other needs? Bolstering support for the art of preaching holds profound potential: it will ignite a fire in hearts, drawing more souls into active service, elevating our entire community, and spurring greater volunteerism and giving. Supporting our clergy with meaningful affirmation to improve their preaching can make a real difference in the spiritual home we offer our children and their children.
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Thank you for your generous gift to renew our preachers and improve Catholic preaching.
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for a variety of ways to donate, or scan the QR code to give online.
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Your contribution will go to "The Institute of Homiletics Saint John Chrysostom Fund" at The Catholic Foundation of Dallas.
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The preacher you honor will be featured alongside this Pentecost image on our Preacher’s Wall of Honor. We will send a note to inform the person or the organization about this honor you bestow.
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Fr. Ed Griswold taught homiletics for 17 years at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. He is one of our coaches in our “Preaching for Encounter” program.
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Fr. Ed Griswold advises being thoughtful about structuring homilies.
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When clarity is important, use a Deductive approach - say what you are going to say and then step by step, explain your main thesis. Keep to one point. And be aware that a deductive homily can feel academic, like a lecture. For a broad parish assembly, use this sparingly.
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More often, given our changing culture, varying levels of catechetical understanding, a wide range of age range, and/or different generational expectations, an Inductive approach may open up possibilities. Emphasizing a story, experience, narrative, and our own personal journey may help you to “bring listeners along” with you. Thus, you can discover together what the Word has for us in this very moment of our lives.
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Fr. Ed is known for emphasizing that each homily should maintain a single focus. No matter what the approach or form, making one point is key to reach your listeners.
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Welcome to the Institute for Homiletics Team, Deacon James Baird! Working alongside bishops, priests, deacons, peer groups, and conveners, Deacon James is our new Coordinator for Clergy Programming. He will be the point person to support all of the clergy in the Preaching for Encounter Program. “I am thrilled to be working with the Institute for Homiletics where I gained so much as a student and continue to learn by staying connected to my peers,” James shared. “Now I get to help other preachers enjoy this experience.” Deacon James has worked at the University of Dallas campus in a variety of roles since 1989. He was part of our Preaching for Encounter 2022 cohort along with other deacons, priests, an abbot, and a bishop. He is currently a member of the diaconal formation team for the Diocese of Dallas. He serves at Holy Family of Nazareth parish. To learn more about him, please visit our About Us page.
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The Academy of Homiletics. December 3-6, Dr. Bellinger attended the Academy of Homiletics annual meeting in Richmond, Va. While there, she introduced Fr. Greg Heille of Aquinas Institute as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy. Here are a few excerpts from Dr. Bellinger's introduction. "For more than fifty years, Fr. Greg Heille of the Order of Preachers has spent his talents for the glory of God." After listing many of his accomplishments, she reminded us of what Fr. Greg said in a 2021 interview: “I love being 'on the Way' with other disciples. Our life as Christians, and for me as a Dominican, is communal. To be "in Christ" is never to be alone. Christianity is a love story that calls for our individual and collective response as disciples.” So, on behalf of God and the angels and the Academy and CATH and all of us, thank you. We all say, thank you, Fr. Greg Heille. Well done, good and faithful servant!"
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Thank you for sharing the good things that have happened for the priests and people of your diocese, Bishop Cahill!
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Deacon James Baird, coordinator of Clergy Programming.
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Fr. Greg Heille, honoree of the Academy of Homiletics.
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Bishop Brendan Cahill of the Catholic Diocese of Victoria, Texas.
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Resources
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When writing a homily, sometimes it is helpful to have the point of view of other scholars and preachers. What I find in internet general searches, about a given topic or a scripture passage, is frequently a muddle of sources that I must carefully vet. It takes valuable time to do that.
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That’s why our Institute has made it a priority to offer you our “Catholic Preaching Search Engine” section on our website that makes it easy to find trustworthy, and Catholic, content. It includes a search engine tool that gathers a wide range of excellent resources.
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As a member of the 2022 Preaching for Encounter cohort, I’ve been benefiting from this tool for some time. I begin a search there with a broad topic. The tool searches across trusted Catholic sources such as Word on Fire, ePriest, SLU Library, and Catholic University. When I type in “Advent,” it returns more than 30 pages of vetted resources. From there, I can refine the results by author or Scripture passage.
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- “Advent Barron” yields 65 results.
- “Advent Bellinger” returns 13.
- “Matthew 1” offers 73 resources.
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This tool allows you to spend less time hunting for trustworthy content and more time investing your energy where it matters most: in prayer, reflection, and preparing a message shaped by the Holy Spirit for your people in this moment. I hope you will find it as helpful as I have!
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Deacon James Baird, newest staff member
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Research
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Research is essential to Catholic preaching. It roots homilies in the authentic Word of God and supports the preacher’s own insights so that they can nourish the faith of God’s people.
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At the Institute for Homiletics, providing solid research results is central to our mission. Executive Director Dr. Karla Bellinger says, "When we provide information that grounds the preacher in the Word and in the realities of today’s world, we help them meet people where they are and open the possibilities for a meaningful encounter of faith.”
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As one of "Aquinas 100" honorees, Dr. Bellinger recently offered a webinar about why homiletics is becoming increasingly important for Catholics and how the Institute is helping. We hope you will enjoy this overview of the growing and timely need to improve preaching.
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"The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners."
- Isaiah 61:1 (Fulfilled by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19)
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