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Prayer Intentions
- For our 2026 Preaching for Encounter Cohort: that they will learn and grow, flourish in their vocation, and exude that joy of faith that attracts their people to our Lord.
- For our Saint Joseph's Preachers: may our new coordinators form lay groups who will be blessed to pray for and provide valuable insights to their priests; and may those who have served earlier cohorts continue to be blessed.
- For our 2027 Deacon Cohort: May diocesan leaders recognize and encourage deacons who are eager to grow in their preaching and ministry.
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The introductory summer retreat gave our 2026 cohort their first steps toward going deeper in their relationship with God and with the people they serve.
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The 2026 Priest Cohort for the Preaching for Encounter Program (PEP) is underway!
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A cool breeze flowed over the Mundelein Seminary grounds. The sunrise on the lake glistened in the reflection over the water. The deer drew close.
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It was a lovely summer week as priests gathered June 23–25 at the University of St. Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, Illinois, for the introductory retreat of the 2026 Preaching for Encounter cohort. They came from Victoria, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Boston, Massachusetts; and Bloomington, Indiana.
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During the retreat, the priests built friendships through meals, prayer, and group conversation. Bishop Brendan Cahill, a member of the 2026 cohort, brought his Victoria peer group a day early to tour the Windy City, enjoy Chicago pizza, and strengthen their bond. This connection is integral to the 20-month program that enables priests to walk together in local peer groups and as part of the national cohort. Priestly fraternity builds the trust they need to grow together.
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One priest described his hope for the program: “I want to sharpen my preaching. What I got in seminary was good. But I can see that there is more.” The priests see that their intellectual formation grows into the wisdom of ministry. They especially hunger to grow in the wisdom to preach, bringing their people closer to God. This introductory retreat week was a solid beginning toward that goal.
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NEW! The 2027 Permanent Deacon Cohort of the Preaching for Encounter Program
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We are excited to announce, due to the demand for diaconal training in homiletics, that we have opened a whole new cohort just for deacons. We seek for 6-8 dioceses to each provide a peer group of deacons for the cohort, which begins with the introductory retreat April 22-24, 2027.
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We are recruiting now!
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See the testimonials and video on our website to see the impact that this program can have!
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Would you like to strengthen your skill in homiletics coaching?
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One of the challenges in Catholic preaching is the formation of personal coaches. The Institute of Homiletics is gathering homiletics educators to address this need.
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The training course consists of one in-person workshop on Oct. 15-17 at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, plus six online sessions. This course is open to anyone who wants to strengthen his or her coaching and/or mentoring outreach: seminary professors, deacon mentors, teachers of preaching, and more.
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Research
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Catholic Young Adult Study:
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Better Homilies Correlate with Stronger Parishes
Dr. William E. Baker and Dr. Karla J. Bellinger
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What difference does a Sunday homily make? A simple seven-to-ten-minute string of preached words in the context of a Catholic Mass – how much impact could that little moment possibly have? A newly published study of Catholic young adults from the Institute for Homiletics finds this: quite a lot, actually. The quality of the homily is closely correlated with higher Mass attendance, more donations in the collection basket, and increased participation in parish activities. Read more.
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In The News
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If we are going to meet our mission to renew preaching, it is important to know the generation of teens and young adults and their views. Through the Lilly Endowment Grant for the Compelling Preaching Initiative, the Institute for Homiletics hosts advisory groups that provide ongoing research. To learn more, visit our Lilly Endowment Grant website section.
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Coaches Corner
Deacon Bill Eckert
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See Deacon Bill's biography in our coaches section under About Us on our site.
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The Preacher as Witness in Ordinary Time
On the road to Emmaus, two disciples encountered the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. They immediately took to the road to spread the good news to their community back in Jerusalem.
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What a beautiful reminder that every preacher must first be a person of faith: someone who has encountered the risen Lord and continues to encounter Him throughout life. Read more
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Resources
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AI and Preaching
Pope Leo XIV recently published Magnifica Humanitas to discuss the challenges that AI brings to the modern world. "A key moment for preaching comes in his statement, after pointing out 'to give a true homily is to share faith,' that artificial intelligence 'will never be able to share faith.' It has provoked much comment."
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- At our recent introductory retreat, we emphasized the privilege of the call to preach as God’s authentic witness to these particular people at this specific time and place in history through these liturgical scriptural readings. That is the call specifically for the diocesan bishop, priest, and deacon. No one and nothing can replace you. Sharing faith is not something that a machine can do.
- See this article by Fr. Louis Cameli in America magazine.
- In a conversation with priests in Rome, Pope Leo elaborated further here about the challenge of 'homiletic muscles' going slack when a priest uses AI to do his homework for him.
- Another key moment in the encyclical speaks to credibility. What will we be able to believe on the internet? Where do we find authentic Catholic resources for preaching? We provide a curated resources search engine that only searches Catholic sites that are faithful to the Church. This resource is not designed to replace the creativity, wisdom, and witness of the preacher, but to be a launching pad for a homemade homily which can become a delectable taste of faith for the people you know and love.
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Suggested Summer Reading
Whether you are recently ordained or have been preaching for decades, the book Remembering Why We Preach offers a soul-searching, self-guided retreat that can guide you to deepen your encounter of God's offer of an intimate, covenant relationship.
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Remembering Why We Preach, by Dr. Karla Bellinger and Fr. Michael Connors, CSC, is a simple but deep spiritual read. Even if you have read it before, it has a vast array of preaching “try-its” that can expand your homiletic capabilities. It also has recommended reading for each of the chapters (through a QR code) that can enrich your reading experience. The book was developed during the 2015-2020 Lilly Endowment-funded Notre Dame Preaching Academy project through the John S. Marten Program for Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame. It is designed to help homily preparation become a source of spiritual renewal for preachers. It is available here, for anyone who preaches or wants to understand more about Catholic liturgical homiletics.
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"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." - Acts 1:8
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