Ed Foley, O.F.M. Cap., discusses how, when preparing one of his homilies, he meticulously annotates his manuscript, like a conductor’s score. “Where’s the crescendo? Where’s the pause? When do the trumpets come in?”
podcasts
Vatican creates study groups on women deacons, role of bishops, seminary reform
The Vatican announced the creation of 10 study groups to focus on themes that arose at last October’s Synod on Synodality, an announcement that prompted mixed reactions: Are the groups “kicking the can down the road” or opening a “new horizon”?
Ukraine military chaplain: Preaching hope to a world at war on Good Friday
When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, “everything becomes more authentic,” and “God ceases to be just a concept,” says Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J. “He really becomes a source of life and all hope for you and for those who are around you.”
A Preacher’s Guide to Holy Week: These are long liturgies. Be brief!
The “Preach” team sought the expertise of two esteemed liturgical scholars and practitioners, Kim Harris and John Baldovin, S.J., to give preachers a whistle-stop tour of the readings and liturgies for this sacred week.
Father Rob Galea’s preaching strategies for reaching disengaged youth
“Explain the resurrection to me in two minutes without using any church language.” This is the challenge that Father Rob Galea tells “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., he sets for his staff to ensure they can easily relate to the young people they serve.
Two of Rupnik’s alleged victims speak out
Five years after Pope Francis convened a global summit on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, two previously anonymous alleged victims of Father Marko Rupnik decided to go public and tell of the abuses they allege to have suffered at the hands of the prolific priest-artist.
How a deacon’s past as a taxi driver fuels his preaching
Deacon Steve Kramer preaches on the First Scrutiny for the Third Sunday in Lent, Year A, and reflects on how four summers shuttling people around gave him a crash-course in listening skills key to his development as a preacher.
Meet a woman who teaches priests to preach
Karla Bellinger teaches and coaches preachers—mostly ordained Catholic men—to give effective homilies. “Effective preaching is like good butter sinking into warm toast,” she says. “You’ve gotta give the Holy Spirit a little bit of time to do some work.”
Try something new this Lent: Map out your homilies like an org chart
Russell Pollitt S.J., shares with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how he uses org charts for homily planning, and how his brother’s suicide and presiding over the funeral of a drowned toddler led him to rethink his preaching style and theological framework.
The Vatican’s chief liturgist on why preachers need to take their homilies more seriously
When asked by host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., why he chose the message of “Welcome Home” and not to preach “in a heavier way,” to emphasize the penitential nature of the season, Cardinal Arthur Roche replies: “Well, because I think, really, that’s what Lent is all about.
