ANNOUNCEMENTS

Forty-two priests and deacons, a bishop and an abbot graduated from the two-year Preaching for Encounter program at the Institute for Homiletics. The Catholic clergy participated from the dioceses of Green Bay, WI, Dallas, TX, and Victoria, TX. From the pre- and post-data collected, the preachers grew in their homiletic skills in a statistically significant way (see the Preachers’ Progress Report).

Bishop Greg Kelly, the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Dallas and one of the 2022 cohort graduates, expressed thanks for the program and explained why ongoing formation is meaningful in connecting with today’s world: “Many preachers find that they are not preaching to the same world as they may have been five or ten or twenty years ago. It is hard to break old habits, but it is worth the ongoing effort. Something different is needed now to help people encounter Christ and flourish as his disciples.”

Homiletics courses in seminary and deacon formation traditionally focus on how to explain scripture and doctrine. The Preaching for Encounter program builds upon those strengths to help ordained preachers to translate the richness of our faith for those in the pew. To accomplish this, each of the preachers in the 2022 cohort had a personal coach, participated in five teaching retreats, and met monthly with a group of peers to support and critique each other in their home dioceses. In addition, each had a lay support group, the St. Joseph’s Preachers, who studied how to be homiletically trained conversation partners for their clergy.

Insights from lay people help homilies to connect with the lives of the those in the pews. Fr. Uche Aladi, of Holy Spirit parish in Duncanville, TX, said, “I feel more connected to them and can understand whether what I preached made an impact on them.” Deacon Hugo Salinas of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos in Dallas, TX, described the way that he now prepares differently: “Picturing Christ in a room with all kinds of people and hearing their heart. Then telling a story with meaning to connect to their hearts and set them on fire.”  When describing what has changed in his preaching, he also says, “(I now) see them more lovingly, with more understanding and more patience. In listening more to what they are going through in their lives, that helps me be in touch and connect with them and [create a] more meaningful homily.”

One of the goals for the Preaching for Encounter program is to encourage Catholic clergy onto a lifelong path of continued growth in preaching. Abbot Peter Verhalen, O.Cist., is eager for the Dallas peer groups to stay together and continue to grow. He says, “The goal is to cultivate some of the friendships we developed over the two years and to continue the reflections on what makes a good homily.”

Touching people’s lives brings joy and meaning to preachers. It helps them to flourish. One of the participants said, “This is a strong point for me, to know that the purpose of the program is to help me inspire and transform our listeners so that they find God. I want to do that!

The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of joy. Dr. Karla Bellinger spoke to the Catholic Foundation Legacy Dinner this fall about joy. Here are a few thoughts from that talk.

The joy of God is all around us. Sometimes we miss it. Last night, I saw the glittering of the stars and the radiance of the full moon. It was glorious! How about the smell of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven? How does the Lord inspire us in the sound of music and the chirping of birds? God’s joy surrounds us.  He says in the first chapter of Genesis, “This is good!” as though to say, I am Creator, look around you, and rejoice!

Joy comes in relationships, both young and old: in the celebration of a long 99-year-old life, in the happiness of an eight-month-old baby learning to eat while spilling biscuits all over the floor in the newfound wonder of food. God said that this is all very good (Genesis 1:31)! Jesus prayed that “my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). The Holy Spirit bubbles up within each of us to rejoice in this wonderful world. In the Sunday readings, the Lord says, “I am near! I am joy and wonder and beauty; join in my joy!”

And yet somehow, joy has gotten messed up. It is as though God put together a glorious jigsaw puzzle of all of these little pieces and then a labrador retriever came into the room and wagged his tail so hard that all of the pieces got jumbled up and some dropped under the coffee table and others were forever lost under the carpet. And what was whole has become a disastrous mess. The world is not as God created it to be. We don’t need to dwell on how broken our world is; trouble smacks us in the face all the time. Thank you, God, for free will. What have we done with it?

But look! The Lord says to you and to me, “Could you help me to put it back together how it should be?” Each of us is given our own piece of the puzzle to help to put it in place. Some of you have a mission in education or healthcare or leadership education. Each of us is working on his or her piece to the puzzle in our own sphere of influence. The God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is here, with us now. To have a mission is to have a purpose. To be on a mission is a source of joy. We are faithfully called to work with the piece of the puzzle that we are called to.

Let me share with you the mission that I am on. I tell people that I specialize in homiletics. People say, what is homiletics? Maybe it is home goods – sheets, towels, pillowcases? I am a woman, so naturally, I should do something with home goods, right? Homiletics has to do with the homily. A homiletician, which I am, is someone who studies and teaches homiletics. I am a teacher of preaching – I work to help Catholic preachers to flourish. I teach priests and deacons how to bring our people closer to God through that little tiny string of words from the pulpit in the midst of a Catholic liturgy.

Three years ago, this puzzle piece was blank in Dallas, starting from nothing. It was just a vision that we need to do something about Catholic preaching. Many of you have been a part of that mission. I am most grateful for you for picking up this piece and making the Institute for Homiletics a reality. Wow. That is a joy!

What we have found in the last three years is that the people in the pew really care about better preaching. At the Eucharistic Congress in July, we passed out almost two thousand prayer cards for parishioners to pray for their homilist. It all starts with prayer; if things aren’t going well in the homily, pull out that prayer and pray. One woman came by the booth after reading the prayer and said, “I’ll take thirty of those for my whole prayer group!” We wondered, what was the preaching like at her parish?

Our Preaching for Encounter program has four components: teaching retreats, monthly coaching, peer groups in their home diocese, and lay support groups called the “Saint Joseph’s Preachers.” There is power in the pulpit. In 7-10 minutes, a priest or deacon or bishop of abbot can impact lives forever – both positively and negatively. It is such a joy when the Good News is preached!

Let me share comments that we have heard. A parishioner said this to a deacon in our program: “From the words that you preached at [   ] funeral – my nephew is considering come back to the church.”  From a lay supporter about her pastor: “He used to be good, now he’s very, very good.” From a new preacher: “This program was just what I needed as I have been learning to preach.” And from a priest in an email to us yesterday: “Thank you for all your work and prayer in improving preaching.  My St. Joseph’s homily feedback group continues, almost weekly at our parish with my brother priests and me, as we gather with 4 to 6 parishioners.  The volunteers have become more direct and honest with their comments.   The bar has been raised.”

It is my joy to work with clergy on their preaching. This summer, we sent off the first graduating cohort of 42 from Green Bay, Victoria, and Dallas. We welcomed in a new group of 46 from Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Joliet, San Antonio, and Gary. God is good!

We’ve got the first of our programs in place. Our preachers have grown. We’ve got “proof of product” and we have data to say, it works! Now, as an Institute, we are looking to spread this good news and expand and grow. And what a joy that will be.

Bubble up among us, Holy Spirit. Fill us with your joy!

Dr. Karla Bellinger, Executive Director of the Institute for Homiletics, recently appeared on Guadalupe Radio Network’s “Interview of the Week” show, which aired on Saturday, November 2nd. The interview was broadcast across three radio stations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, including KATH 910AM, KCPP 1140AM, and 101.5FM.

Dr. Bellinger was joined by Jim Moroney, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Directors, as they discussed the origins of the Institute, the qualities of effective preaching, and the significance of homilies in the liturgy. The conversation, hosted by Dave Palmer, provided valuable insights into the Institute’s mission and vision for renewing preaching in the Catholic Church.

You can listen to the full interview here: Podcast

We invite you to tune in and learn more about the Institute for Homiletics. Discover how you can support our mission to strengthen preaching and transform the liturgical experience within the Church.

We were there! The Institute for Homiletics was honored to participate in the 10th National
Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana this summer. We joined 60,000 Catholics to be
inspired, challenged and renewed in our faith.

A lot of people came to our booth. We saw priests and deacons with whom we have worked.
Dallas Diocese Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly (a graduate of the most recent Preaching for
Encounter Program 2022 Cohort), stopped by to say hello and share a few jokes. Bishop Cahill
of Victoria recorded a video to tell his coach what he still remembers from his personal
coaching. Some of our St. Joseph’s Preachers—the lay support group that accompanies and
encourages our clergy as they journey through the program—told us how much the lay listener
program has impacted them.

This congress was a pivotal moment for renewal in the Catholic Church. At the Institute, we
believe that the renewal of liturgical preaching is integral to the revival of the Eucharistic
celebration. We passed out almost 2,000 prayer cards, asking lay people to pray for our
preachers and for themselves as listeners. Even if you weren’t there and you didn’t get the
prayer card, please join us in this movement of prayer for Catholic preaching to flourish. Here is
that prayer:

Invocation of the Holy Spirit For this Homily and this Homilist

Holy Spirit,
You are here in this place,
closer to us than we are to ourselves.
You have gathered us together
at this Eucharistic celebration.
We hunger for Your nearness.
We also want that closeness
for all those whom we love.
Bless this homilist
that he may effectively use words
to help us to encounter You
through this homily.
Grace us with careful listening
as You move in our midst.
Come, Holy Spirit, and
set our hearts on fire!

The Institute launched its newest 2024 Preaching for Encounter Program cohort of forty-six priests and deacons with a three-day introductory retreat on June 25-27, 2024 at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.

Fr. Matthew Hegemann, O. Cist. a University of Dallas graduate (’15, BA in history, ’20, MA in theology) is participating in the new cohort. He said, “Our recent retreat at Mundelein seminary has me excited and ready to begin learning more about the craft of composing and delivering homilies. I hope to learn more about myself as a preacher and about the people to whom I’m speaking. In fact, the entire program revolves around making a connection between the preacher and those sitting in the pew, such that homilies are engaging and centered upon common experience.” Fr. Matthew is a former UD soccer student-athlete who entered Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian monastery in ‘2016. He joins Fr. Francis Gruber as the two Cistercian monks in the new cohort. Abbot Peter Verhalen and Fr. Christoper Kalan have been in the 2022 cohort and concluded their two-year preaching program in Notre Dame, IN on July 9-11, 2024.

The new preachers come from the dioceses of Dallas, Joliet, IL, and Gary IN, and the archdioceses of Chicago, Indianapolis, San Antonio, and Los Angeles.

Dr. Suzanne Nawrocki, one of the program’s coaches said that the retreat reminded her of “the feeling of a new semester in school when your pencils were sharpened and you were anxious to start classes. That’s how I felt as I greeted forty-six priests and deacons from around the country to start this program to invigorate their preaching. Joining these men in prayer, in the classroom, and at meals, the excitement was palpable.”  On the first night of the retreat, retired professor of homiletics and another coach, Fr. Ed Griswold exhorted the newest preachers to throw their heart and soul into their upcoming study and preaching formation work.

The retreat at Mundelein introduced the preachers to the vocabulary of the “science of homiletics.” Sessions touched on the ways to lead people toward an encounter with the living God. Dr. Karla Bellinger, executive director of the Institute, presented the theology of preaching, how to listen and connect with listeners, principles of delivery, and how to focus a homily to make one point. Morning and evening prayer and daily Mass bonded the group together liturgically.

A highlight unique to this new cohort was joining in the Marian pilgrimage of the Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Matthew says, “During our retreat, we had the wonderful opportunity of joining in a Eucharistic procession on Mundelein’s beautiful campus, revealing the true power of the Eucharist to bring people together and calling for unity in a time of so much division.” As the swallows flitted overhead, the vested priests and deacons from the Institute more than doubled the number of clergy processing through the woods and around the lake in the breeze of a northern Midwestern evening.

Fr. Matthew is hopeful that the focus on homiletics will bring the Church together as we seek to renew the Eucharistic celebration: “I’m confident this program, in light of that message of unity, can help foster greater devotion and understanding of our liturgy, which helps us to meditate upon the Word of God before receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.”

After the procession, coming into the evening session, a deacon from Joliet, IL was so inspired that he said to the retreat leader, “What can you possibly do to top that?” Dr. Bellinger replied, “I won’t even try!” At the end of that long Wednesday of processions and learning, at the social, the priests and deacons shouted and cheered (and booed) as Venezuela beat Mexico 1-0 in the Copa America 2024 tournament. One said afterwards, “The campus was beautiful. The weather was cooperative. And the new friendships were priceless.”

The Lord was with us. What could be better than that?