Remembering Why We Preach: A Retreat to Renew Your Spirit and Skill

by Karla J. Bellinger, Michael E. Connors CSC

Overview

If your heart is on fire with God’s love, your preaching will help listeners encounter Christ and deepen their spiritual lives. And that should be the ultimate goal of a homily.

Remembering Why We Preach is a retreat that will help you revive your creative energy and spiritual focus. Karla Bellinger—executive director of the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas—and Fr. Michael Connors, CSC—director of the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame—lead you through an eight-part process of spiritual renewal and skill development that will nourish and enrich you and your preaching for years to come.

Whether you are recently ordained or have been preaching for decades, you will explore the spiritual, pastoral, and communal aspects of preaching, which lies at the heart of the Church’s work of making disciples.

This book can be used as a personal or group retreat or in preaching courses It includes:

• reading materials for personal reflection;
• questions for journaling or peer-group discussions;
• practical exercises to enhance skills such as listening to your people, storytelling, homily writing, and diversifying your speaking styles; and
• support materials such as an outlines for a peer-group meeting, a sample retreat format, and forms for homily feedback and goal setting.

 

Links to additional resources are available in each chapter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646801824
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	11/25/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Karla J. Bellinger is a Catholic speaker and the founding executive director of the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas. She previously served as the associate director of the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame, where she also was a member of the theology department faculty.

Bellinger earned a bachelor of science degree from North Carolina State University, a master of arts in theology from the University of Notre Dame, and a doctorate of ministry in preaching from the Aquinas Institute. She is a member of the Academy of Homiletics, the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics, and the Norther American Academy of Liturgy. Bellinger is certified as a lay ecclesial minister and a master catechist. She is also a master gardener.

She is the author of Connecting Pulpit and Pew and Living the Word and contributed to several other books. Her work has appeared in Homiletics, The Deacon, Catechetical Leader, Momentum, and Seminary Journal.

Bellinger lives with her family in southwestern Michigan.

Fr. Michael E. Connors, CSC, is director of the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics, as well as a faculty member in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1984.

Connors earned a bachelor’s degree from Illinois College, a master of divinity degree from Notre Dame, and a doctorate in theology from Regis College at the Toronto School of Theology. He is a past president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics and a member of the Academy of Homiletics, the Catholic Theological Society of America, and the College Theology Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part I Go In! A Spirituality of Preaching

1 Help Them Find God 3

2 Preaching the Paschal Mystery 13

3 Preaching as a Spiritual Practice 27

4 Preaching as a Pastoral Practice 43

Part II Go Out! A Life of Leadership through Preaching

5 Preaching as Spiritual Leadership 57

6 Opening the Conversation between Pulpit and Pew 73

7 Moving through Encounter to Discipleship 87

8 Preaching to Move Disciples into Mission 99

Appendix 1 Group Meeting Suggested Outline 113

Appendix 2 Homily Feedback Form 116

Appendix 3 Personal Goal-Setting Sheet 120

Appendix 4 Peer Group Gathering Schedule 121

Notes 123

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“I have been preaching for more than fifty years and find this book stimulating, informative, encouraging, and filled with excellent suggestions and wonderful resources to help me further improve the special vocation of preaching. This unique resource is flexible and easily adapted for individuals, small gatherings, or larger study groups. Bellinger and Connors have written an excellent guide with informative text and spiritually rich retreat features that will help new and veteran preachers alike to keep always before them why, whom, and to whom we preach.” —Bishop Paul J. Bradley, Diocese of Kalamazoo

“This book promises to keep preachers moving deeper into their vocation for years to come, and promises to strengthen the power of Christian witness to our world.” —Ann M. Garrido, associate professor of Homiletics, Aquinas Institute of Theology

“An indispensable, real-world resource for all in the ministry of preaching.” —Deacon Brian Conroy, director of Deacon Formation, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

“What a generous gift! This book offers years of scholarship, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring, and prayer shared in a practical, accessible, and layered format.” —Rev. Kenneth Simpson, vicar for Professional and Pastoral Development of Priests, Archdiocese of Chicago

“This is not just a book about preaching; it is also an invaluable resource for preachers to which they may go back often before going forth to proclaim the Gospel!” —Deacon Melvin R. Tardy Jr., president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus

“Preaching must improve. But how? This retreat workbook is valuable precisely because it meets this urgent need—the how of better preaching—making years of homiletic wisdom available to a wide audience. May this book bear much fruit!” —Fr. Joshua J. Whitfield, author of The Crisis of Bad Preaching