ANNOUNCEMENTS

For the third cohort in a row, Cistercian monks are among the priests who know the Word and hunger to give it away.

By Anna Liza Denny

IRVING, Texas (June 12, 2026) — During a recent homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Fr. Jerónimo Espinosa, M.P.M. ’23, chaplain at the University of Dallas, asked us if we have ever experienced hunger. He then pointed to the void inside us and announced that Jesus is our food. He said that when we say “Amen” every time a priest says “Body of Christ” during Holy Communion, we are affirming our belief: “so be it,” “truly,” “it is true.” His homily stirred the pews. It made clear what so many of us feel but rarely name: we have a God-given hunger. And we cannot wait to be filled by Jesus.

Have you heard a homily lately that fed you?

The Institute for Homiletics’ (IFH) mission is just that: to form priests and deacons who can recognize that hunger, name it and point them straight to the One who satisfies it.

On June 23, the Institute will welcome 26 priests from across the country for its next 20-month Preaching for Encounter Program (PEP) and among them, two Cistercian monks.

Fr. Thomas Esposito, O. Cist., BA ’05, and Fr. Joseph Van House, O. Cist., BA ’03, MTh ’07, are Cistercian monks who teach at the University of Dallas and bring to their classrooms a centuries-old tradition of contemplative prayer and deep immersion in Sacred Scripture.

They are following the footsteps of other Cistercian monks who graduated from PEP cohorts: Fr. Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist., and Fr. Christopher Kalan, O. Cist., in 2022; and Fr. Matthew Hegemann,  O. Cist., B.A. ’15, M.A. ’20, and Fr. Francis Gruber, O. Cist., in 2024.

So why would Cistercian monks and other priests who have extensive knowledge of Scripture sign up for programs organized by the Institute for Homiletics? Could it be they, too, have a God-given hunger? Perhaps a powerful homily feeds both the parishioners’ desire to encounter the Lord and the priest’s desire to care for their flock. Jesus described that flock as troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

And Jesus entrusted that flock to Peter. Before His ascension, Jesus looked at Peter and asked him three times if he loved Him. After Peter said “yes” three times, Jesus said: “Feed My sheep.” (John 21:17). It was more than a command. It was the love of a Shepherd who knew His sheep by name, placing them in the hands of Peter who denied Him three times. Peter knew that to love Jesus is to love His flock. To love His flock is to feed them.

“God calls shepherds to feed their sheep,” said Executive Director Dr. Karla J. Bellinger, a nationally recognized expert in Catholic homiletics and author of Connecting Pulpit and Pew. “A priest does this in two profound ways: through the Word of God proclaimed in the homily and through the Holy Eucharist. Both are acts of love. Both answer the same call.”

Earlier this year, 43 priests and deacons graduated after spending 20 months studying, receiving coaching and spiritual formation and learning to preach in a way that feeds their flock. Among them were Fr. Miguel Angel Flores Andrade of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Deacon Norman Smith of the Diocese of Dallas.

“This program gave me much more than I expected. I now have a lot of tools to continue to improve my preparation of homilies,” said Fr. Miguel.

“I am more aware of what works and how I can still improve,” said Deacon Norm. “I’m eager to continue helping us all have better connections with God.”

After a recent IFH board of trustees meeting, UDallas President Jonathan J. Sanford, Ph.D., who is among the Institute’s board members, said: “The Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas is doing critical work advancing the new evangelization by honing the desires of priests, bishops and deacons to bring parishioners in contact with the living Word. I am grateful for their continued growth.”

This June, priests in the cohort will gather for a retreat for the first time, receive an introduction to the Preaching for Encounter Program and explore the foundational concepts of the science of homiletics. Priests will also connect with other priests, growing in brotherhood and camaraderie. The retreat will give them a sense that preaching is not just a skill, it is a spiritual practice.

As the program continues, they will work closely with homiletics coaches and draw from online resources and workshops.

“The Institute for Homiletics is a bright and shining light within the Church,” said Fr. Abbot Peter. “Dr. Bellinger challenges us to renew our own encounter with God so that we can then help our congregations encounter our merciful and saving God themselves. My prayer is that the Institute for Homiletics will renew the Church, one preacher and congregation at a time.”

The Diocese of Victoria, Texas has had a number of priests complete the Institute for Homiletics’ Preaching for Encounter program, and for the 2026 cohort we welcome Bishop Brendan Cahill and seven more priests. Bishop Cahill has participated in an earlier program and is eager to participate alongside the priests of his diocese go deeply into the Word and their own prayer life knowing the Holy Spirit will help them create more encounters with Christ for their flock.

Please see a recent article with more in The Lighthouse published by the Victoria Diocese.

The 2026 priest cohort for the Preaching for Encounter Program is underway! The priests are in the initial process of applications, interviews, and orientations. The introductory summer retreat will be at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago on June 23-25, 2026. Stay tuned for more pictures and more information!

The 2027 deacon cohort will launch with their introductory retreat on April 22-24, 2027. Deacon James Baird, our Coordinator for Clergy Programming, will officially begin that deacon recruiting at the conference of the National Association of Deacon Directors next week. Look for him there at our booth to reserve a space for a deacon peer group from your diocese.

As we continue to grow the number of clergy in our PEP program, we want to maintain the personal nature of our ongoing formation. To do that, we need more coaches. We will hold a national coaches training program from October 14-17, 2026. Please contact us for more information if you think that you might like to apply for that initiative.

Remember to join our new cohort by registering on May 1, 2026. Apply Now!

James Moroney III (Jim), the Chair of the Board of the Institute for Homiletics, received one of the highest recognitions in the Catholic community when he was honored at the 2026 Catholic Foundation of Dallas Annual Award Dinner.

Jim was recognized for the many, many ways he has served the community in Dallas alongside a variety of Catholic and other organizations. His recent work to enhance homiletics, reminding us that Jesus inspired our faith through preaching, was featured during this memorable annual event.

In recent years as he entered retirement from his influential and innovative work in media, Jim was becoming increasingly aware of how many people were leaving the Church. “It wasn’t hard to see when you paid attention, they were leaving Mass without the hope they came for,” he said, “and I knew, that’s why some just faded away from their faith.” Jim would later learn that many seminarians receive little formation in preaching. And then around 2019, Jim experienced a very memorable moment “when I felt the Holy Spirit grab me by the collar and tell me to do something about it.” Together over the next few years he and his colleague Kris Kramer raised $7.5 million to endow the operations of the Institute for Homiletics, securing its mission and operations for generations to come. In August of 2021, Dr. Karla Bellinger was hired as the founding executive director.

“If God allows, I would like to live long enough to see a renewal of Catholic preaching in the U.S.,” Jim says. “My desire is that the Institute truly changes the culture of preaching so that through the homily, people in the pew encounter the living God and come to know Jesus Christ more deeply.”

All of us on the Institute for Homiletics team at the University of Dallas congratulate Jim wholeheartedly! We are grateful for all he does to impact the ways our faith can remain strong and growing when we truly encounter God.

Making a tremendous difference for priests and deacons across the U.S. are, left to right, Matt Kramer, President of The Catholic Foundation of Dallas and board member for the Institute for Homiletics, his wife Kris Kramer, who was instrumental in establishing the endowment, Dr. Karla Bellinger, the founding Executive Director and lead preaching educator, and Jim Moroney, the inspiration and driver for sustainable growth.

See more photos here.