About Us
Our Purpose
Our Mission and Vision
Three Core Initiatives
We pair homiletics and evangelization, trusting that incremental growth in the improvement of preaching can result in exponential growth in the renewal of the Church.
A collaboration between the University of Dallas and The Catholic Foundation, our Institute for Homiletics was founded on the fact that homilies matter.
While other organizations focus on homily delivery, the Institute for Homiletics goes deeper—offering formation that strengthens the bond between preacher and people, rooted in the power of the Word and guided by the Holy Spirit. Our mission comes to life through three core initiatives:
Preaching for Encounter
Giving preachers the time, tools, and spiritual space to grow—so their words reach hearts and build faith within their communities.
St. Joseph’s Preachers Program
Equipping laypeople to listen deeply, pray intentionally, and support their preacher—strengthening preaching and renewing their parish life.
Top Resource for Research & Content
We help preachers connect their community to the truth, beauty, and relevance of Catholicism. Thanks to the Lilly Endowment funding, we feature learnings about young adults’ views.
Our Vision
“The value of the liturgy is the body of Christ that fuels us – and it’s the music, and it’s the community, and it’s the preaching,” shares the Institute’s Executive Director Dr. Bellinger. “The purpose of the liturgy is to bring people to God together as a community and then help them to go out and change the world for the better. The holiness and skill of the preacher and the receptivity of the people have to go together if we are to renew the Church,” she says.
“There is no greater joy for a preacher than for him to hear, ‘You helped me find God. And that has made all the difference in my life.’
Our vision is to help this connection, this encounter with God, to happen more often with more people.
Why the Institute for Homiletics?
As Catholics, the Word and the Eucharist are at the heart of every Mass. Yet it is often the homily that people remember and share — and its quality matters.
According to research, many in the pews feel disconnected. While homilies typically offer a sound examination of the readings, people long for preaching that connects the Word to their daily lives and helps them encounter God’s presence. Making this connection is critical: five out of six Mass attendees engage in no other faith-related activity during the week. Without a feeling of connection at Mass, Catholics are more likely to disengage or drift away.
Why Now?
Connecting with people is only becoming more important. In recent decades many people, especially younger generations, do not identify with any formal religion. Even Hispanic/Latino Catholics, long known for strong family and cultural ties to the Church, are beginning to depart.
Amidst this decline, there are signs of hope. Those who are faithful keep the Catholic Church vibrant. And with the death of Pope Francis, and Pope Leo XIV becoming the head of the Church, a new interest in Catholicism is emerging. Many in today’s world are spiritually hungry, searching for meaning and moral clarity in a time of confusion. Young people in particular, often the very ones who were raised without a religious framework, are yearning for and actively seeking meaning in their lives.
Many are finding it in non institutional forms, but for those who find a way to connect to Catholic faith, it speaks deeply to these longings. The Church’s intellectual tradition, moral teachings, rich rituals, and sacramental theology continue to attract seekers of the truth. What they might hear in Catholic preaching could be the way to make that connection.
How It Began
Founded in 2021, the Institute for Homiletics stands as the only organization dedicated to advancing the quality of Catholic preaching. The Executive Founding Director, Dr. Karla Bellinger, has a rare blend of passion and a doctoral degree in Homiletics from the Aquinas Institute, known for their unique education to preach, to teach, to minister, and to lead.
In her book Connecting Pulpit and Pew: Breaking Open the Conversation about Catholic Preaching, Karla writes: “If preachers have a profound relationship with Jesus and have given their life to serving God, it comes across in what they say. That’s why our team at the Institute is dedicated to support our preachers and their congregations.
We aim to have more priests and deacons hear their parishioners share that they have been moved: “You helped me find God. And that has made all the difference in my life.”
Dr. Bellinger’s widely respected preaching and leadership have come together in a powerful, multidirectional program designed to elevate Catholic preaching. Since the launch of the first Preaching for Encounter cohort in 2022, measurable growth has been reported—not just by the participants, but also by their coaches, peers, and parishioners. The improvements span both personal spirituality and the ability to deliver homilies that are more meaningful, memorable, and impactful.
The second cohort, which began in Spring 2024, is already showing signs of even greater transformation as they journey toward graduation in February 2026.
Now, the Institute for Homiletics is preparing to welcome its third Preaching for Encounter cohort in Spring 2026.
The Institute for Homiletics is where priests and deacons of the Catholic church come to build relationships with their listeners and invite more to encounter God through preaching.
The Team
KARLA BELLINGER — FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Karla J. Bellinger has a passion for God and for preaching. In launching the Institute, she brings a vision of what effective preaching can do for the renewal of the Church and the renewal of faith. Homiletics and evangelization belong together.
Bellinger is the past president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics (CATH). Before being tapped to found the Institute for Homiletics, she was the Associate Director of the John S. Marten Program for Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame. She earned her doctorate in preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology and her master’s degree in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame. She also has a BS in forestry from North Carolina State University. She and her husband Daniel are the parents of five adult children with nine grandchildren. When not working on homiletics, she can be found digging and planting in her large organic garden.
Karla is the author of Connecting Pulpit and Pew: Breaking Open the Conversation about Catholic Preaching from Liturgical Press and co-author of Remembering Why We Preach from Ave Maria Press. Her lectionary reflections for year A can be found here.
EMILY LUGO — EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND COORDINATOR FOR LAY PROGRAMMING
She and her husband Felipe have five children and can be found cheering them on at their soccer games when not at work. Emily is bilingual and will be an asset for engaging the Spanish-speaking community within the Institute.
JANE KOENECKE – COMMUNICATIONS
Jane and her husband Mike have two children and one grandchild, and a dog named Bonden who loves to herd them around the house. Outside of work you are likely to find Jane spending time volunteering, on another travel adventure, or hunkering over a puzzle.
DEACON JOHN O’LEARY — FOUNDING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Jane and her husband Mike have two children and one grandchild, and a dog named Bonden who loves to herd them around the house. Outside of work you are likely to find Jane spending time volunteering, on another travel adventure, or hunkering over a puzzle.
Our Coaches
CYNTHIA BERNARDIN, DMin, MA
Homiletics Coach Cindy Bernardin began her pastoral ministry in her home parish, which led to a Clinical Pastoral Education residency and board-certified chaplaincy. A love for the craft of preaching and its power to form and strengthen a community’s discipleship has been central to her own formative experience in parish life and continues in her current ministry. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching and a Certificate in Teaching Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, as well as an M.A. in Catholic Thought and Life from Saint Meinrad School of Theology. Her doctoral thesis focused on preaching as an act of communication.
In addition to serving as a coach for priests and deacons, today Cindy enjoys opportunities to preach and write, including contributing to the 2028 Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers, and Proclaimers of the Word, Year C (Liturgy Training Publications).
Cindy and her husband have been married for more than 40 years and live in Indiana. They enjoy traveling, especially to get time with their four children and six grandchildren!
MSGR. STEPHEN BOSSO, DMIN, BA, MDiv, SSL
Homiletics Coach Cindy Bernardin began her pastoral ministry in her home parish, which led to a Clinical Pastoral Education residency and board-certified chaplaincy. A love for the craft of preaching and its power to form and strengthen a community’s discipleship has been central to her own formative experience in parish life and continues in her current ministry. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching and a Certificate in Teaching Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, as well as an M.A. in Catholic Thought and Life from Saint Meinrad School of Theology. Her doctoral thesis focused on preaching as an act of communication.
In addition to serving as a coach for priests and deacons, today Cindy enjoys opportunities to preach and write, including contributing to the 2028 Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers, and Proclaimers of the Word, Year C (Liturgy Training Publications).
Cindy and her husband have been married for more than 40 years and live in Indiana. They enjoy traveling, especially to get time with their four children and six grandchildren!
DCN. WILLIAM ECKERT, DMin
Homiletics Coach Deacon Bill Eckert holds a Doctorate in Ministry in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute in Saint Louis and is a teacher of preaching.
His early life, growing up in a large family in Bremerton, Washington, and then earning a B.A. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, prepared him well for ministry. For nearly four decades, he has focused on forming and coaching teens in Chicago, Hawaii, and Tacoma, Washington. More than 30 of those years have been at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma, where Deacon Bill served as coach of the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, as well as liturgical coordinator and campus minister.
In 2003, he was ordained to the diaconate for the Archdiocese of Seattle, and he currently serves the people of Tacoma while assigned to Saint Patrick Catholic Church and School. He has also been a hospital chaplain, served on ethics committees, and regularly ministers to seniors through Bible study and communion services.
Deacon Bill and his wife, Barbara—who also works in ministry, pastoral studies, and preaching—have been married more than 30 years. When he has free time, Bill and Barb enjoy gardening and traveling.
FR. EDWARD J. GRISWOLD, DMin, STL, MEd
Homiletics coach Fr. Ed Griswold is known for helping priests, seminarians and deacons to develop strong, sustainable practices for crafting effective homilies. His goal is to equip preachers to engage their communities in ways that facilitate listeners’ efforts to encounter the word of God and connect it to their lives.
Fr. Ed draws on decades of ministry as a Parochial Vicar, Diocesan Vocation Director, Formation Mentor at Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary, and Parish Pastor. He has also ministered as Homiletics Professor, Pastoral Formation Director and Vice Rector at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore. Father is presently assigned as a Senior Priest to St. Barnabas Church, Bayville, NJ in the Diocese of Trenton. Fr. Ed continues as a coach in the Institute, which gives him the opportunity to influence hundreds of preachers nationwide.
In addition to being a valued coach in the Institute for Homiletics, Fr. Ed enjoys “being back home” with family and friends. When he can, Father enjoys traveling and keeping in touch with former faculty, students, and parishioners.
FR. MICHAEL KUEBER, DMin, LLit, MDiv, BA
Homiletics Coach Fr. Mike Kueber is a member of the Brotherhood of the People of Praise and serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Portland, Oregon.
He earned a License in Liturgy in Rome (2011) and a Doctorate in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis (2019). He has taught at Catholic University of America and Mount Angel Seminary, and he now coaches preachers with the Institute for Homiletics. Fr. Mike is especially known for his more than 25 years of work serving first-generation Hispanic immigrants and their children. In 2023 he published Preaching to Latinos: Welcoming the Hispanic Moment in the U.S. Church (Catholic University Press). He shares best practices for preaching and leading in multicultural settings across Christian traditions.
When he has free time, Fr. Mike enjoys kayaking, swimming, biking, hiking, watching good movies, and traveling.
DR. SUZANNE NAWROCKI, MA, MDiv, DMin
Homiletics Coach Dr. Suzanne Nawrocki Suzanne held a position as an executive member of the Catholic Association of Homiletics for multiple years. She has also participated in the wider ecumenical group, the Academy of Homiletics; and the international guild Societas homileticus. Suzanne assisted in the Practices Peer Forum to update accreditation standards for the Association of Theological Schools, helped the USCCB train clergy on preaching Laudato Si, consulted and lectured for the University of Notre Dame Martin Preaching initiative, and assists the Diocese of Austin Deacon formation in preaching. Suzanne enjoys presenting at the LA Catechetical Congress and frequently gives workshop for parishes in sacramental preparation, lector training, and on the scriptures. A perpetual learner, she recently completed Harvard’s Bok Higher Education certificate program.
She has a Doctorate in Ministry from Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, where Suzanne has also served as an adjunct professor. In addition, she has earned undergraduate business degrees from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, and an MA in Scripture and a MDiv from Mary’s Seminary, Houston.
Suzanne and her husband of more than 40 years enjoy living in the Hill Country of Texas. Their four grown children and two grandchildren give them great joy! Suzanne enjoys playing golf, pickle ball, and swimming. She also hammers songs out on the piano, and (surprisingly) she believes yard work is fun!
Coaching also provided by Dr. Karla Bellinger and Deacon Ken Steponaitis.