The State of
Homiletics
in the
Seminaries and Graduate Schools of Theology
in the United
States
At the 1999 Catholic Coalition on Preaching’s Strategic Colloquium on the Future of Catholic Preaching, the bishops, seminary rectors, homiletics professors and others in attendance urged the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics (CATH) to update its 1992 “Report on Homiletics Curriculum and Preaching Professor Certification.” In this white paper CATH responds to that request. We examine:
· the state of homiletics vis-à-vis the expectations of the Program for Priestly Formation
· teaching/learning homiletics on the graduate level
· degrees and professional competencies expected of homiletics professors
· the ongoing formation of preachers.
Additionally, we take an initial look at the preparation of deacons and lay people as preachers.
We hope at once to survey the current state of affairs and make recommendations for the future.
of the Program for Priestly
Formation
In the Program for Priestly Formation [hereafter, PPF], the Bishops of the United States decreed that
Homiletics should occupy a prominent place in the core curriculum and
be integrated into the entire course of studies. In addition to the principles
of biblical interpretation, catechesis, and communications theory, seminarians
should also learn those practical skills needed to communicate the Gospel in an
effective and appropriate manner. (PPF: #377)
In this first section of our white paper, CATH surveys the state of homiletics nine years after our 1992 white paper. We review the data to ascertain the extent to which homiletics occupies “a prominent place in the core curriculum” and is integrated “into the entire course of studies.”
At the beginning of the 1990’s, those preparing for presbyteral ordination took, on average, fewer than six credits in preaching courses (CATH, 1992: 1). As of 1999, the average seminarian takes 5.6 credits in homiletics (Schuth, 1999: 183). Since the average M.Div. degree requires well over 100 credits of study, it would be difficult to argue that homiletics occupies “a prominent place” in most seminarians’ training. Regrettably, the lack of prominence first noted in 1992 persists.
In our 1992 report, we encouraged programs of study to “use homiletics as an integrating factor in the curriculum” (CATH, 1992: 13). At that time, a few schools were using some techniques to ensure the place of homiletics in an integrated curriculum.
However, data gathered in 1995 suggests that the integration of courses necessary for good preaching is not occurring; for instance, only one-fourth of a group of priests’ homilies showed evidence of sound exegetical preparation (Reid & Hoppe: 2). A 1998 consultation among biblical and homiletics scholars led its organizers to conclude that “the primary problem is that in their initial formation preachers are not taught how to move from exegesis to interpretation of the Scriptures for preaching” (Reid & Hoppe: 18). It seems that a disconnect between the biblical faculty and the homiletics faculty exists in many priestly formation programs. Further, it remains unclear what if any contact homiletics faculties have with the faculties of systematic theology (PPF: #338), moral theology (PPF: #345), and history and the human sciences (PPF: #343).
The expectations of the U.S. Bishops regarding the prominence and integrative role of homiletics in the formation of future priests have yet to be met in most seminaries and graduate schools of theology. In the balance of this paper, we intend to recommend ways in which this prominence and integrative role might be better achieved.
As CATH considers the pedagogical issues facing institutions that form preachers on the graduate level, we identify three areas: a Roman Catholic vision of the homily and the competencies which flow from the vision; a model homiletics curriculum and accompanying pedagogical strategies; and strategies for deeper integration of homiletics and the rest of the curriculum.
A.
A Roman Catholic
Vision of the Homily,
and the Competencies Which Flow From It
An important key to good preaching is a comprehensive understanding of the theological and liturgical character of the homily. Preaching well is difficult if the homilist has not clearly understood what the Church intends to happen in liturgical preaching. But even a clear vision is not enough, for from that vision must flow specific abilities and knowledge needed to preach well. In this section, we look at a Roman Catholic understanding of the homily and the competencies necessary in a preacher to enflesh that understanding.
In the United States, the best-known source for understanding the nature of the homily is Fulfilled in Your Hearing, the 1982 document of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry [hereafter, FIYH]. At an October 2001 colloquium sponsored by the Catholic Coalition on Preaching, the assembled scholars reaffirmed the value of the understanding of the homily presented by FIYH. According to that document, the homily is “a scriptural interpretation of human existence which enables a community to recognize God’s active presence, to respond to that presence in faith through liturgical word and gesture, and beyond the liturgical assembly, through a life lived in conformity with the Gospel” (p. 29).
While FIYH refers to this sentence as “the understanding of the homily central to this document,” in fact two other aspects of liturgical preaching are key to the bishops’ understanding. First, FIYH recognizes that while the homily is a part of the liturgy, a word of the Church, it is also a personal word. The homily is the fruit of the preacher’s own prayer and reflection, and parishioners want “to hear a person of faith speaking” (p. 15; cf. pp. 10, 13, 14). Second, the implications of a homily being preached within and for “a community” are clearer in other parts of the document. The homiletic preacher speaks the Word of God “in language and images that are familiar to the dwellers of the particular avenue we are travelling” (p.14).
Taken as a whole, then, FIYH sees the homily as personal, liturgical, interpretive of a specific community, and sacramental in the sense of manifesting God’s presence and action in a way calling for response in liturgy and life.
There are additional sources for a Catholic understanding of the nature of the homily. Since the homily was restored as a part of the liturgy by the Second Vatican Council, popes and Roman dicastories have issued documents that speak of the homily. A complete discussion of those is available elsewhere,[1] but for purposes of this paper one summary passage is key. The Praenotanda of the Lectionary for Mass (1981) gathered together much that had been predicated of the homily during the Council and the years of post-conciliar implementation. The paragraph on the homily merits full quotation:
Through
the course of the liturgical year the homily sets forth the mysteries of faith
and the standards of the Christian life on the basis of the sacred text.
Beginning with the Constitution on the Liturgy, the homily as part of the
liturgy of the word (cf. Sacrosanctum
Concilium 52; Inter Oecumenici
54) has been repeatedly and strongly recommended and in some cases it is
obligatory. As a rule it is to be given by the one presiding (cf. GIRM 42). The purpose of the homily at
Mass is that the spoken word of God and the liturgy of the eucharist may
together become ‘a proclamation of God’s wonderful works in the history of
salvation, the mystery of Christ’ (Sacrosanctum
Concilium 35). Through the readings and homily Christ’s paschal mystery is
proclaimed; through the sacrifice of the Mass it becomes present (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 6, 47). Moreover
Christ himself is also always present and active in the preaching of his Church
(cf. Mysterium fidei 36, Ad gentes 9, Evangelii nuntiandi 43).
Whether the homily explains
the biblical word of God proclaimed in the readings or some other text of the
liturgy (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium
35; GIRM 41), it must always lead the
community to celebrate the eucharist wholeheartedly, ‘so that they may hold
fast in their lives to what they have grasped by their faith’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 10). From this
living explanation, the word of God proclaimed in the readings and the Church’s
celebration of the day’s liturgy will have greater impact. But this demands
that the homily be truly the fruit of meditation, carefully prepared, neither
too long nor too short, and suited to all those present, even children and the
uneducated (cf. Catechesi tradendae
48). (24)
As is evident, the key notes of Fulfilled in Your Hearing are present in this remarkable paragraph, but there is more as well. As in FIYH, the personal quality of the homily is noted; it is the “fruit of meditation, carefully prepared.” As in FIYH, the homily is liturgical, flowing from and leading back into the liturgical action. It is interpretive, as text and life together sweep the gathered assembly into explicit relationship with salvation history. The sacramentality of the homily is even clearer: “Christ himself is also always present and active in the preaching of the Church”; in response to that presence, the homily empowers deeper participation in the liturgy and a transformation of “Christian life on the basis of the sacred text.”
The Lectionary for Mass also goes beyond FIYH in one key aspect. FIYH wishes to stress the homily’s role in interpreting human existence through scripture, whereas the Lectionary reminds the preacher that a clarifying of the scripture itself is also a desired outcome. The homily “sets forth” and “explains,” although always in such a way as to be experienced as a “living explanation” leading to response.
The Catholic understanding of the homily would imply certain knowledge and abilities as it arises from these two documents. Since the homily is “personal,” the homiletic preacher must be a person of faith and reflection, as well as one with adequate compositional and delivery skills. Since the homily is “liturgical,” the homiletic preacher must have deep knowledge of the liturgy and facility in celebrating it. Since the homily is “interpretive,” the homiletic preacher must be adept at hermeneutics, the science of bringing together ancient text and modern context. This entails knowledge of the specific liturgical assembly, and the ability to speak in its language and images. Since the homily is “clarifying,” the homiletic preacher must have facility with scriptural exegesis, the starting point of any explanation or interpretation. And finally, since the homily is “sacramental,” the homiletic preacher must be able to prepare and invite the assembly to experience anew the presence of God, in the liturgical assembly and in all of life. This involves a lived knowledge of the graces proclaimed, and in a sense brings us full circle to the “personal”: the preacher’s faith has an impact on the efficacy of the homily.
Perhaps these preaching competencies would be clearest if fleshed out and presented as an ordered list.
Roman Catholic Homiletic Preaching Competencies[2]
Personal (ability to
present self and message to others)
·
engages listener by means of verbal and
non-verbal communications skills
·
takes responsibility for choices made regarding
content of preaching
·
manifests genuineness
·
manifests empathetic understanding of listeners
·
manifests pastoral love
Liturgical (ability to speak and act as a minister of the liturgy)
·
communicates a sense of the sacred
·
identifies with listeners and speaks on behalf
of the assembly
·
reinforces listeners’ experience of themselves
as Church
·
connects word, ritual, and assembly
·
encourages lively and personal participation in
liturgy
Interpretive (ability to correlate and interpret Scripture and human experience)
·
uses language easily understood by listeners
·
uses relevant language
·
names current cultural realities (including
negative realities)
·
interprets scripture in terms of today’s world
·
interprets today’s world in the light of
scripture
Clarifying (ability to speak clearly and insightfully about the Scriptures)
·
makes a central point clearly
·
makes a central point worth making,
theologically and pastorally
·
utilizes responsibly exegetical scholarship
·
utilizes responsibly contemporary theology
·
reflects the fullness of Catholic Tradition
Sacramental (ability to
facilitate actualization of Scriptures)
·
communicates sense of importance in what is
being said
·
awakens wonder at the Good News
·
conveys a sense of expectation of God’s presence
in preaching
·
communicates lived truth
· enables an experience of the Good News
B. The Homiletics
Curriculum and Pedagogical Strategies
Even given the guidelines set in place by the Program for Priestly Formation, seminaries have understandably chosen various ways to implement these guidelines in their curricula. However, solid programs for teaching homiletics share some common features. Above all, such programs require at least eight or nine semester credits in preaching placed strategically in the curriculum, and they have sufficient faculty members whose specialty is teaching homiletics. In addition, the curriculum as a whole acknowledges the pivotal role of homiletics both in formation for ministry and in the practice of ministry.
1.
Developing
preaching competency
Sr. Katerina Schuth has written, “Effective preachers must be well versed in the Scriptures, have a solid grounding in all branches of systematic theology, exercise keen moral discernment within the Catholic tradition, and be cognizant of the pastoral situation in which they are preaching.” (Schuth, 1999, p. 183) Clearly, this task requires more than several homiletics courses; it is the task of an entire seminary curriculum. However, certain knowledge must be gained and certain skills developed in courses directly given over to preaching. While course content and sequence will vary as curricula themselves vary from school to school, CATH nonetheless would see the following areas as crucial to any effective homiletics program.
Prerequisites. Prior to the seminarian’s engagement of the homiletics curriculum, sufficient work in biblical, sacramental, historical and systematic theology should take place. In addition, formal training in the oral interpretation of the scriptures is necessary. Good preaching begins with good proclamation.
The great range of experience students bring to the classroom increasingly challenges seminary faculties. In preaching courses, this is most evident. Some seminarians have little public speaking experience. Others have had little experience with theological reflection prior to their seminary education. Others yet have little “life” experience and have not yet developed a mature spirituality. For the preaching courses to be most effective, some work in all of these areas must occur prior to undertaking formal homiletic study.
Basic homiletics. The initial course provides a historical, theoretical, and practical foundation for beginning preaching and for further preaching coursework. Students should learn basic models of scriptural exegesis for preaching, techniques for developing ideas within the homily or sermon, and practical effective delivery skills. A thorough analysis of Fulfilled in Your Hearing should be included as well, in order that students understand, appreciate, and appropriate the perspective on preaching of the Catholic Church in the United States. Overall, the emphasis in the first course is on developing basic skills and developing one’s “voice” as a preacher, on beginning to recognize oneself as someone whose chosen vocation is preaching.
The initial course should, as with all the required preaching courses, include practice homilies. It is good practice to include both peer and instructor feedback for these practice homilies. The emphasis should be on constructive feedback given in a “safe” environment in which students are free to experiment in developing their skills. This develops the awareness as well as the ability of students to both offer and receive helpful, constructive feedback. This experience helps predispose them to seek feedback after seminary, even creating occasions for parishioners and/or other clergy to discuss their preaching.
Students who spend summers in a parish or do a pastoral internship or mission experience should have some basic homiletic training as part of their preparation for this extended experience. Students should be encouraged to dialogue with the laity both in preparing and evaluating their preaching.
Advanced homiletics. Further coursework builds on the material and experience of the first course and provides further opportunity for exposure to a range of methods for homily preparation and structure. In addition, more advanced work in hermeneutics—bringing together the Scriptures and the situation in which one will be preaching—should be presented. Deductive and inductive models of homiletic method should be studied with practice homilies providing the necessary application step for this study. Throughout the preaching coursework, attention should be given to the implications of the homily being a part of the liturgy. The liturgical year provides the context for homiletic preaching, and students should gain an increasingly familiarity with its rhythms. In addition, preaching at various rites (RCIA, marriage, et al.) should be covered. The further along in the preaching curriculum, the more emphasis should be placed on preparing, delivering, and assessing homilies.
The elements of homiletic training mentioned above can be structured in a variety of ways. But, CATH recommends that eight or nine semester credits would allow sufficient development of preaching competency.
Curricular support is also a sign of a healthy homiletics program, that is, the overall curriculum recognizes preaching as an important, integrative discipline. Good preaching requires good preparation in biblical theology, systematic theology, sacramental theology, and moral theology. Preaching is more than basic speech for the minister. Some professors outside of the homiletics courses may require a homily as part of a student’s class work on (for example, a homily on the Trinity, or from the Psalms). This could be very helpful. A potential drawback, however, is that the systematic or biblical theologian may be operating with a different understanding of a good homily or sermon than that of the homiletician. Care should be taken that all those faculty members who incorporate homilies into their course work employ principles of good preaching, as proposed in FIYH, in evaluating these assignments.
2.
Miscellaneous
issues in teaching homiletics.
Pedagogical strategies. Because people have different learning styles, it is advised that whatever methods are developed in class should be presented with a range of pedagogical strategies: lecture, discussion, example, and application. It must also be noted in this context that homiletics instruction is a time-intensive discipline that requires many out-of-class hours with students who may be ill prepared for their first homiletics class, in addition to the many hours spent with students reviewing their homily videotapes outside of class.
Liturgical preaching. Although the policy regarding the practice of preaching (particularly preaching homilies at Eucharist) by seminarians varies from diocese to diocese, we still recommend that seminarians have regular opportunities to preach, while at the seminary and during their internship and other pastoral ministry experiences, even if not at Eucharist. Under supervision seminarians can preach and gain the necessary experience of preaching in actual parish contexts—with the concomitant need to exegete the congregation of hearers as well as the biblical text(s) of the lectionary—in many and varied occasions outside of Eucharist.
Assessment. Assessment is an important part of homiletics education. Feedback from peers and instructors gives students valuable information on how successful they are at achieving their homiletic goals. It is one factor students can use in assessing how they are “coming across.” Assessment should be regular, insightful, and deep. Among assessment tools are videotaping, written and oral feedback, and grades.
Videotaping homilies is an important tool in providing feedback to students. It should be used for critique not only of delivery but for the sense of persona being communicated. The tape creates a record of an individual’s progress; students are often surprised at their progress over the several courses in the homiletics curriculum. Videotape also allows development of archive of homilies for use in successive classes. Collections of tapes are useful for student outcomes assessment with various accrediting agencies. Digital tape format makes this more feasible; it can be easily edited and converted into various formats and configurations. There is no loss of picture quality over generations of copying and editing.
Feedback may be made effectively both orally, after a preaching event or viewing videotape, and in writing, either on some feedback form or on a written manuscript.
Some professors believe grades provide an incentive to do more complete work. If homiletics education is perceived as mastery of method, then grading seems appropriate to that end. Others, however, suggest that preaching should be pass/fail, that grades put undue pressure on the homilist. Clergy are notorious for their dislike of preaching with their peers, fearing their judgment, whether voiced or unspoken. If preaching were, in large part, a matter of formation, then grades would seem to be inappropriate, even counter-productive. In either case, students need a safe, positive environment in which to experiment with skills, styles, and structures. Additionally, preaching should be seen as a ministry requiring lifelong attention.
Cross-cultural and multi-cultural preaching. In most dioceses of the United States, some priests are called to minister in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-racial parishes. The rapid increase of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the U.S. is one obvious example of growing diversity. Increasingly, dioceses require seminarians to study Spanish as part of their seminary curriculum. Pastors ministering in Hispanic/Latino settings must often preach in Spanish. Seminarians who can expect to preach in Spanish should begin preparing for this eventuality while they are in seminary. Preaching in a language that is not one’s primary language, it must be remembered, is more than a mere translation of words. Merely speaking Spanish will not produce adequate homilies. Cultural idioms and issues unique to, for example, those from Columbia differ from those who come from Mexico or Puerto Rico, just as people from the United States and New Zealand have different cultural backgrounds. These same principles apply to seminarians being trained to preach in African, African-American, and Asian communities. In addition, many seminaries experience the growing diversity of seminarians coming from some of these cultures. Their need to prepare for preaching in another culture demands specific attention as well.
In addition to language studies and cross-cultural ministry, students need to become sensitive to the challenges in preaching and ministering in multi-cultural settings, as distinct from cross-cultural settings. Preaching can be a key element in the integration of the expressions of faith of the various cultures of a parish.
The size and continued growth of
the Hispanic population in the Church in the United States moves us to
recommend preparation of an official Spanish translation of the document Fulfilled
in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly.
As we noted in the first section of this white paper, the Program for Priestly Formation asks that homiletics “be integrated into the entire course of studies” (#377). We would now like to be explicit about ways that such integration can and should happen.
Some schools understand the preparation of preachers to be a primary function of the institution. This vision may be prompted by the school’s perception of its mission or it may be a personal commitment of individual administrators. In either case, commitment at the administrative level can lead to the initiation and encouragement of many of the other practices described below.
At the level of the graduate faculty, various strategies may be employed to facilitate homiletic integration, including team teaching (e.g., “Preaching from the Hebrew Scriptures”), coordination of courses (e.g., sacramental theology and sacramental preaching), and interdisciplinary assignments (e.g., a homily rather than a research paper in a Christology course).
Integration of theological courses through preaching can also be the result of curriculum design. Classes can be sequenced in a way that clarifies the relationships between other theological studies and preaching (e.g., offering introductory courses in scripture and theology before introduction to homiletics). Some schools have integrating projects in the final year or throughout the courses in which preaching can play an important role.
Worship itself helps students to see the relationships among their courses. In many schools models of preaching by the faculty within the seminary community or outside it demonstrates for students the relationship between the professor’s scholarly work and the preaching task of ministry.
Finally, the students’ preaching before the seminary community and in the context of field education shows their ability to bring together what they have learned through their theological education. Within the seminary the entire faculty can participate in feedback processes to help students use their theological learning in their homilies. Field education supervisors should be trained to help students with their parish homilies in content as well as in delivery.
These suggestions for integrating the theological curriculum for priestly ministry show that preaching can be an important tool in achieving a unified focus for seminary studies.
Recognizing the primary place preaching holds in the life and ministry of a priest, CATH reaffirms its conviction that the homiletics faculty be of the highest professional quality. To this end we urge that qualifications and certification for homiletic instructors be carefully considered.
The Program for Priestly Formation calls for faculty with “advanced, preferably terminal, degrees in their teaching areas.” Further it recommends that the faculty have pastoral experience (#486). Most seminaries and theologates require specific degrees for faculty in other areas of the curriculum, but they still seem quite flexible in their standards for teachers of preaching. In 1992 we recommended that those teaching homiletics hold a doctoral level degree in that field, as well as another specialization to facilitate integration of preaching within the total curriculum. This remains a value for us.
Writing in 1999 Katarina Schuth noted that “homiletics faculty have been especially conscientious about upgrading their skills, and most of them are now full-time faculty members who hold credentials appropriate to their field” (Schuth,1999:184). However, at that time fewer than five schools could report faculty whose terminal degree was in preaching. A 2001 survey of Catholic seminaries and theologates in the United States reveals marked improvement in that figure. Thirty-two of the 43 schools contacted responded. Fifteen of those institutions report having faculty with graduate degrees in preaching, a remarkable increase. Of the people currently teaching preaching in the schools reporting, 12 hold doctorates and 6 more are working toward the doctorate in preaching. CATH applauds the progress and encourages continued growth in this important area.
CATH commends the efforts made in providing a doctoral program for teachers of Catholic homiletics. The Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program at Aquinas Institute of Theology prepares people for teaching homiletics, and several of its graduates currently serve on the faculties of Catholic seminaries and theologates. This response to the recommendation in Fulfilled in Your Hearing (Appendix, p. 43) represents a solid start. The program’s internet-enhanced format promises to prepare many more persons qualified to teach homiletics in our seminaries.
CATH reiterates its recommendations from 1992 regarding the professional competencies for teachers of homiletics:
· An understanding of the theology of preaching, the role of preaching within the liturgy, and the variety of methods for Scriptural exegesis and hermeneutics.
· Expertise in theories of contemporary communication theory including rhetoric, persuasion, intercultural communication, narrative, oral interpretation, mass media strategies, etc.
· Ongoing pastoral and parochial experience that enables the professor to teach from personal and contemporary experience of preaching.
· Teaching skills that enable the professor to help students develop professional competency. These skills include developing confidence, organizing an oral/aural message, using non-verbal skills, etc.
· In addition, we recognize the need for cultural awareness and sensitivity as teachers of homiletics face an ever-more-diverse student body preparing to preach in an ever-more-diverse Church.
CATH commends the progress made since 1992 toward the hiring of full-time homiletics teachers. Nonetheless, Schuth’s research reveals that more than 20% of the schools reporting rely completely on adjunct faculty for teaching preaching. One reports a half-time faculty member in homiletics. Full-time status allows the homiletics faculty to participate in discussions, studies, and curriculum organization around integrative elements of the seminary program. Full-time faculty can demonstrate clearly to their colleagues that preaching is a naturally integrative subject. CATH urges that additional strides be made toward this goal.
CATH rejoices in the progress that has been made in the qualification and status of teachers of homiletics in Catholic seminaries and theologates. We support continued growth in these areas and offer our assistance as mentors for new faculty and as a clearinghouse for institutions seeking qualified faculty.
In The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests, unanimously adopted in 2000, the U.S. Bishops wrote this:
Pastoral formation entails the development of skills and competencies
that enable priests to serve their people well. … Competencies and skills by
their very nature are acquired and developed through instruction, application,
and practice. Attempts to develop certain critical pastoral competencies and
skills for priestly ministry will meet with limited success in the course of a
seminary program. The real opportunity to learn and cultivate such pastoral
competencies and skills is after ordination, when the opportunity for
application and practice becomes available.
(p. 28).
CATH wishes to underscore the importance of ongoing formation in preaching, and to point out that many opportunities are available. As professors of homiletics, we are often called upon to help priests grow in their love for and competency in preaching. We see this as a key part of our service in the Church, and recommit ourselves to it.
In addition, we recognize a number of other resources for ongoing formation in preaching. Among them are: .
.
· An Introduction to the Homily by Robert Waznak, S.S., Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998) offers an historical sketch of the change from sermon to homily, models of the preacher, and a full chapter of frequently asked questions with practical and wise responses
·
Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis,
Missouri is a center for Catholic preaching education. Programs include the Preaching Institute
(the last two weeks of June in a three-summer cycle of beginning and ongoing
formation for preachers), a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies in Preaching (on
campus), and the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching (a combination of internet learning and on-campus
intensive seminars for experienced preachers in fulltime ministry
·
Catholic Coalition on Preaching.
This organization periodically presents conferences for preachers. For more
information, contact CCOP at (815) 836-5520
National Institute of the Word of God – John Burke, O.P.
and William Graham (Washington,
DC) provide training for priests and deacons.
· Preaching for Today... and Tomorrow. This is a six-part videotape series with accompanying workbook, produced by Richard C. Stern. It is helpful for those beginning the preaching ministry as well as for an update with veteran preachers, and is available from The Scholar Shop (Saint Meinrad School of Theology, Saint Meinrad, IN 47577).
· Preaching Justice: Ethnic and Cultural Perspectives. Christine Smith, ed. (United Church Press, 1998). Preaching Justice brings together eight very diverse voices from eight distinct cultural/ethnic communities, challenging them to articulate the specific justice concerns, issues, and passions that give rise to a preaching ministry within their own community and beyond.
·
Preaching the Just Word workshops lead by
Walter J. Burghardt, S.J and outstanding Catholic Scripture scholars for
priests and deacons, helping them to see the need and possibilities of
preaching the Gospel message of justice.
·
Preaching to the Hungers of the Heart: The Homily on Feasts and within the
Rites by
James A. Wallace (Collegeville:
Liturgical Press, 2002) presents a theology and spirituality for the
preacher as well as deep liturgical understanding and practical suggestions,
illustrated by his own homilies.
· Renewing Sunday Preaching. The National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy has developed an 8-hour convocation for presbyterates with their bishop, or religious communities of priests with their provincial. It seeks to affirm priests in their preaching ministry, help them claim a Roman Catholic understanding of the homily, and nurture in them the competencies that flow from that Catholic understanding. For more information, contact NOCERCC (1337 W. Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60622-6490; 312-226-1890; nocercc@nocercc.org).
· We Speak the Word of the Lord: A Practical Plan for More Effective Preaching, by Daniel Harris (Chicago: Acta Publications, 2001). In this book, Fr. Harris presents a means for an individual preacher or a small group to review and improve upon all aspects of preaching
· With Such Yearning Love: Reflections For Diocesan Priests On The Preeminent Charism To Preach, by Stan Drongowski, O.P. Available at (http://www.op.org/farrell/yearning.htm), this online resource is “a tool for [a priest] to reflect on [his] own experience as a diocesan priest and the integral role preaching has in [his] ministerial identity.”
The Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics exists
· as a forum for mutual sharing of scholarship and support which can lead to the professional development of its members;
· to underscore the significance of Catholic preaching as a means of proclaiming the Good News;
· as a resource to the bishops in their responsibility for the continuing formation of their priests respective to their duty to preach;
· to develop programs in homiletics for the preparation of priests, deacons and non-ordained ministers;
· to be a unified movement toward the development of advanced degree courses in homiletics within Catholic theological schools. (CATH Constitution, Art. II).
In keeping with CATH’s identity, we urge bishops, seminary rectors/presidents, academic deans, and teachers of homiletics to use the findings and recommendations of this white paper as a tool for a thorough examination of the state of homiletics in their own institutions. We call for the Roman Catholic Church’s vision of homiletic preaching to be fully enfleshed in the initial and ongoing formation of preachers. And finally, we commend to formators the words of the Program for Priestly Formation as an effective guide to evaluate and improve the place of homiletics in the curricula of seminaries and graduate schools of theology.
A Look Ahead. While our focus in this paper has been on graduate-level homiletics for seminarians, CATH is cognizant of the preparation programs that operate to form deacons and lay people to preach. In many cases, such preparation is occurring in non-credit, non-degree programs. CATH members serve as faculty in some of these programs.
In support of the finest possible preaching in the Church, we urge that diaconal and lay preachers be trained and formed to exercise their ministry with grace and effectiveness, in programs that integrate knowledge, skills, and spirituality. The establishment of competency-based standards for preaching can guide all members of the preaching community of a diocese, ordained and lay, to commit themselves to consistent quality preaching. Those teaching preaching outside of graduate schools of theology need the same competencies that CATH recommends for graduate teachers of homiletics.
As teachers of homiletics, we believe that preparation of all candidates for the preaching ministry is enhanced by participation in courses or programs in which collaboration in ministry is seen as normative. Women and men, seminarians, lay ministers, and deacon candidates can assist one another in the preparation and peer critique of preaching texts and their delivery. Diverse training settings come much closer to replicating the parish environment in which the preaching ministry is most often exercised.
At its 2001 meeting, CATH committed itself to producing white papers that will examine more closely the question of preparing deacons and lay preachers. That commitment remains.
VII. Bibliography
Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry, National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly. Washington, D.C.: USCC, 1982.
Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics. “CATH Report on Homiletics Curriculum and Preaching Professor Certification.” n.p.: 1992.
DeLeers, Stephen V. A Process for the Assessment of Liturgical Preaching Reflecting Official Roman Catholic Understanding of the Homily (UMI #9708431, 1996).
Kane, Thomas A., C.S.P., ed. Teaching Introductory Homiletics (Proceedings of the Weston Summer Institute, vol. 1). Newton, MA: Sophia Press, 1992.
________. Teaching Intermediate Homiletics (Proceedings of the Weston Summer Institute, vol. 2). Newton, MA: Sophia Press, 1993.
________. Teaching Advanced Homiletics (Proceedings of the Weston Summer Institute, vol. 3). Newton, MA: Sophia Press, 1994.
National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests. Washington, D.C.: USCC, 2001.
________. Program of Priestly Formation, Fouth Edition. Washington, D.C.: USCC, 1992.
Reid, Barbara E., O.P. and Leslie J. Hoppe. Preaching from the Scriptures: New Directions for Preparing Preachers. Chicago: Catholic Theological Union, 1998.
Sacred Congregation for Sacraments and Divine Worship. De Verbo Dei (Revised Praenotanda to the Lectionary for Mass). In The Liturgy Documents, Third Edition, 127–164. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publication, 1991.
Schuth, Katarina. Seminaries,
Theologates, and the Future of Church Ministry: An Analysis of Trends and
Transitions. Collegeville: Michael Glazier, 1999.