The Catholic Church cannot grow without meaningful preaching. Yet even most homilists admit, preachers often leave us wanting more. Many priests and deacons receive very little training in homiletics, Homily preparation can get lost amid...

St. Francis of Assisi preached with his words and his life. Because of this one man’s preaching, the faith of 13th-century Europe was revived. What can we learn from him about how to preach to...

Written By: Emily Lugo, M.P.S. Earlier this year, I had the blessing of participating in The New Frontiers in Preaching Academy, a certificate program organized by the Aquinas Institute of Theology. Designed for both deacons...

The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor St. Teresa of Calcutta said that “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” In spite of all of its material wealth, the...

The cry goes up, “Better homilies!” But what does “better” mean? “Parishioners know what moves them and what they do not like in homilies, but to evaluate a homily in a constructive manner is often...

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Augustine with Pope Leo XIV and all of the Catholic world. The conversion of Augustine is one of the most remarkable stories in all of Christendom. His mother...

“Put out into the deep…” was more than just a scriptural invitation. It was the guiding theme of the Institute for Homiletics’ 2025 summer retreat, held at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. The retreat marked the...

Celebrating the Graduation of our Coordinator of Lay Programming from the Aquinas Institute of Theology. We are honored to announce that Emily Lugo, our Coordinator of Lay Programming, has graduated from the prestigious Aquinas Institute of...

“Good Homilies Matter” is the title for the Beatidudes podcast for Friday, March 7, 2025. Bishop Greg Kelly of Tyler, TX speaks with Jeff Schiefelbein, Paul Kolker, and Nick Bezner about what he learned from...