National Homiletics Coaching Training
In-person workshop - Oct. 15-17, 2026, followed by five weekly online sessions
At the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Retreat Center in Mundelein, Illinois
The Institute for Homiletics is gathering preaching educators together for a rare opportunity. We are offering this for seminary homiletics professors, teachers of preaching, deacon formators, doctoral students and graduates, and more. The coaching experts who will facilitate this gathering have years of experience, first through the Notre Dame Preaching Academy program and currently in the Institute’s Preaching for Encounter program. They will lead this practical workshop through the art of feedback: how to deeply listen and how to engage preachers to encourage growth. The five online sessions will unpack the standards for preaching (developed through research at the University of Notre Dame and the Institute for Homiletics) and how to coach preachers toward excellence. The sessions will be instructive, interactive and hands-on. We will utilize case studies, practice coaching, and role-play difficult situations. We look forward to an invigorating time together!
Featuring Presenters
Dr. Karla Bellinger
Msgr. Steve Bosso
Dr. Suzanne Nawrocki
Fr. Ed Griswold
Deacon Bill Eckert
A stronger homily can open a heart, renew a faith, and strengthen an entire parish.
We have seen that transformation happen through the Preaching for Encounter program. The 43 preachers who graduated in the 2024 cohort collectively reach an estimated 65,000 people through Sunday Mass and pivotal moments such as funerals, weddings, quinceañeras, Christmas, and Easter. When a priest or deacon becomes a more effective preacher, the impact multiplies across every community he serves. (See the latest progress report here.)
You can make this formation possible. Your support will help bring the Preaching for Encounter program to more dioceses and remove financial barriers for priests and deacons who are ready to grow.
Participants tell us that becoming better preachers also deepens their relationships—with God, with the people they serve, and with their fellow clergy. Your gift invests not only in stronger preaching, but also in clergy who are supported, connected, and flourishing in their vocation.
As the Holy Spirit moves you, please make a scholarship gift today. Every contribution helps equip more priests and deacons to proclaim the Gospel with clarity, conviction, and hope. Each time a scholarship is provided, it allows that impact to reach thousands of people in the pews and beyond.
Please reach out to office@instituteforhomiletics.org with questions.
If you prefer to mail a check:
The Institute for Homiletics – Preacher scholarship
University of Dallas, Box 682
1845 E. Northgate Dr.
Irving TX 75062
If you want to contribute appreciated stock:
National Financial Services
DTC Number 0226
Account Number: RJL-081296
Contact: Hunter Kral at 972-761-5068 or hkral@rockco.com
FAQs
Why homiletics coaching?
From the perspective of the preacher: Research has shown that one of the most effective ways that people grow is through personal coaching and/or mentoring. Preaching is no different: effectiveness is a life-long process of growth. In Christian faith, we believe that the God who is Revealer and Self-Communicator wants to speak through human preachers. Each preacher has been given a different voice. To discern what to say, preaching is rooted in prayerful attention to the Word and shaped through study, reflection, and continual refinement. Coaching helps a preacher make meaningful, Holy Spirit-guided adjustments to strengthen the clarity of the message, improve the concrete way the homily is delivered, and ensure that it speaks to the particular needs of a local community.
From the perspective of the future coach: To be a trained homiletics coach is a unique ministry to those who preach. There are very few trained homiletics coaches in the Catholic world. We need more. Places that coaches are needed: in seminaries, in deacon formation programs, in ongoing homiletics formation programs, and other areas of ministry. The cry goes up for better preaching. Who better to meet that need than a trained homiletics coach?
For those who are already teaching and mentoring in homiletics: Most homiletics educational programs do not offer the concrete training that coaching requires. This course is not designed to replace formal homiletics education, but to augment it. Whether you are just now working on your advanced degree or you have been teaching for a long time, this program will strengthen your practical skills in coaching.
Who is eligible to apply?
This National Homiletics Coaching Training is for those who want to strengthen their coaching or mentoring outreach. This can include seminary professors, deacon mentors, teachers of preaching, and more.
What will I receive with course completion?
A certificate from the Institute for Homiletics. CFU’s for deacon formators if needed.
Do I need to be Catholic?
Our homiletics coaching formation is grounded in a Catholic faith perspective, but we welcome preaching formators from other Christian denominations who want to grow as coaches.
Are transportation, meals, and lodging included?
- Yes. The tuition covers all meals, lodging, and transportation to and from O’Hare airport (if needed).
- We will start with evening prayer at 5:00 p.m. on October 15 and conclude by 2:00 p.m. on October 17th. Please make your transportation plans accordingly.
- If you are flying, assume two hours to get from Chicago O’Hare airport to Mundelein. We will arrange for pick-up at this airport to the University of Mary on the Lake in Mundelein, IL. Please contact us with your flight information as soon as you have reserved it.
- If you are driving, please follow these instructions to the purple parking lot at Mundelein’s campus: parking instructions.
How do I pay for this and how can I be considered for a scholarship?
No payment is needed to apply. Upon acceptance into the program, we ask for a $100
down payment within ten days to hold your place.
- Early bird tuition, paid by August 15: $1,500.
- Full tuition, paid by October 15: $1,750.
- Special circumstances: If your organization requires an invoice, if you need to pay in installments, or if you would like be considered for a scholarship, please contact us.
Checks can be made to:
Institute for Homiletics
University of Dallas
1845 E. Northgate Dr., Box 682
Irving, TX 75062-4736