When Ellie Hidalgo served as a pastoral associate at Dolores Mission Church in East Los Angeles, the priest asked her to lead Liturgy of the Word and Communion services on Thursdays to give him a day off. “I would often use stories of people acting with courage, loving their neighbor, serving as good Samaritans and living out Gospel values,” she says, reflecting on the homiletic approach she developed over 12 years. “Storytelling builds community. It builds identity.” Inspired by St. Phoebe—a pi...
Sep 17, 2024•41 min
Why does Jesus rebuke Peter, admonishing him to “Get behind me, Satan”? What is behind Jesus’ stern warning to his disciples to “tell no one” about his miraculous deeds, the so-called “messianic secret”? As the church's Sunday lectionary cycle takes us deeper into the Gospel of Mark, this week on “Preach” we confront some of this Gospel's most perplexing questions. Joining us to explore these and other perplexing aspects of Mark, including its literary genius, and how it was crafted to help the ...
Sep 09, 2024•38 min
“Preach” is back! We're thrilled to launch our second season with Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., a renowned Dominican from the English Province, as our guest for the premiere episode. Timothy brings extensive experience as the former worldwide leader of his order, as well as a distinguished preacher, spiritual author, guide and sought-after retreat leader. Though his leadership and wisdom have long been recognized in the church, his international profile was significantly elevated when Pope Francis in...
Sep 03, 2024•41 min
At the start of every “Preach” episode, we state the mission of the show: “We take you into the minds and hearts of some of the finest preachers in the Catholic Church; we listen to their homilies, learn what makes them great and draw inspiration to keep preaching the Good News.” This mission informed our decision to send host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to the National Eucharistic Congress, a historic event—the first of its kind in 83 years—that took place in Indianapolis, Ind., from July 17-21. On...
Jul 26, 2024•36 min
“There were people who came up to me and said, ‘thank you for saying what you said about the rhetoric. I hope that the Biden people get this message.’ And then other people would stop and say, ‘thank you for what you said. This is [what] Trump people really need to hear.’” Greg Kandra shared, “so I think somehow by the grace of God, I walked to that middle line and I gave a message that everybody connected to and related to, and was able to take something positive from.” On this episode of “Prea...
Jul 17, 2024•38 min
“We’re like the apostles,” says Shayla Elm. “We’re getting to walk with Jesus, like the apostles did; getting to learn from him, getting to see the ways that He brings people to Him that maybe you didn't think twice about, the people on the fringes.” On this episode of “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talks with Shayla Elm, one of 24 young adults chosen to accompany the Eucharistic processions that started out across the country this past Pentecost Sunday. She has been on the road for almo...
Jul 08, 2024•23 min
“The Eucharist is the food that makes us hungry,” says Joe Laramie, S.J., so when he preaches, he hopes to stir his congregation “to deeper hunger for the Lord, to grow in deeper devotion to him.” Joe, the National Director of the Pope’s Prayer Network and a preacher for the National Eucharistic Revival, preaches for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B. After the homily, Joe joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. to discuss how the National Eucharistic Revival is trying to stir greater hun...
Jul 01, 2024•26 min
A homily is a public speech, so it only makes sense to write it in public, says Scott VanDerveer, who mostly writes his homilies sitting at a long shared table in a coffee shop. “I love looking up at whoever’s in line at the cash register at that moment and thinking, ‘Would this guy, or would this woman care about what I’m saying at all; would this speak to their life at all?’” he says. “Or would they say, ‘Ugh, that’s so churchy?’” The Rev. VanDerveer, a priest of the Diocese of Albany and the ...
May 28, 2024•38 min
A surefire way to lose your congregation’s attention is to start a homily with “In today’s Gospel reading,” says Thomas Groome. “The purpose of good preaching,” he says, “is to bring our lives to God and God to our lives.” A preacher’s job, then, is to facilitate a meaningful conversation between the two. This week on “Preach,” Tom, a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, preaches for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B. Rat...
May 20, 2024•38 min
Though Jesus preached in parables that still captivate us, not every story told in a homily has a similarly lasting impact. The Rev. Christopher Clohessy shares how preachers can craft stories that linger long after Mass is over. This week on “Preach,” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is joined by another South African priest. Chris is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cape Town who now teaches Arabic and Islamic theology at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic studies in Rome. In his homily...
May 13, 2024•35 min
Ron Hansen has written award-winning novels that have been turned into Hollywood hits. As an ordained deacon, he crafts equally compelling homilies. This week on “Preach,” Deacon Ron Hansen, a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Washington and a prolific author, preaches for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year B. His homily reflects on the physical reality of the Ascension and the promise it holds for us. In the conversation after the homily, Ron and host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., ...
May 06, 2024•24 min
While most parishes struggle to attract young members, Saint Clement Parish in Chicago stands out with a mostly young adult congregation. This week on “Preach,” the Rev. Peter Wojcik, the pastor of Saint Clement Parish in Chicago, Ill., preaches for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B. In his homily, he reflects on the depth of Jesus’ committed love for us and our Christian duty—and challenge—to share that transformative love with others. In the conversation after the homily, Peter and host Ricar...
Apr 29, 2024•33 min
Gemma Simmonds, C.J., a theologian and sister at the Cambridge Theological Federation in Cambridge, England, preaches for the Fifth Sunday in Easter, Year B: In her homily, she reflects on her experience of poverty in Brazil, giving significance to Christ’s words: “Make your home in me as I make mine in you.” Then, in the conversation with host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., they discuss the importance of humility in preaching, her role as an ecumenical chaplain in the Church of England, preaching for ...
Apr 22, 2024•36 min
“I think there's a major concern for living more in harmony with creation, which is a result of conversion,” says Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., “But I think Pope Francis is also, as our good shepherd, calling us to greater urgency to act because time is slipping away and we haven't done much.” Bishop John Stowe is a Conventual Franciscan, the third bishop of Lexington, Kentucky and the bishop president of Pax Christi. Listen to Bishop Stowe's homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B, on th...
Apr 15, 2024•27 min
Good preaching requires mastery of rhetoric, in particular the tools of repetition and organization. “Otherwise, they’re not gonna remember,” says John Baldovin, S.J. “This is a no-brainer, but beginning, middle and end, and not trying to make too many points” are key to a compelling homily. He also adds with hyperbolic emphasis, “If you want to be a good preacher, you have to read, read, read, read, read and pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.” John, a Jesuit priest and professor of historical and li...
Apr 08, 2024•25 min
“Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” This is how Kim Harris starts her homily for the Second Sunday of Easter—in joyous song. “When Thomas first the tidings heard / How they had seen the risen Lord / He doubted the disciples’ word. Alleluia!...” Such daring from the ambo has long struck a controversial chord with preachers and liturgists alike, prompting “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to ask Kim about her choice to start her homily in song. Kim, an assistant professor of African American Relig...
Apr 01, 2024•34 min
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God often makes Godself known through sound: be it a voice from a burning bush, a resounding clap of thunder or the blast of a trumpet. “God is revealed through sound,” affirms Ed Foley, O.F.M. Cap. “I think of a homily as sound theology,” he adds, “it’s acoustic engagement.” When preparing to preach, Ed, the Duns Scotus Professor Emeritus of Spirituality and a retired professor from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, first writes his homilies word for w...
Mar 25, 2024•36 min
When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J., says that “everything becomes more authentic.” For this Jesuit priest, who serves as the chief military chaplain of the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church, the task of preaching to those suffering in Ukraine, “from the trenches to the President,” has brought the challenge and promise of preaching hope on Good Friday into stark relief. To authentically ...
Mar 18, 2024•32 min
The liturgies of Holy Week need to be seen as a unity. With two weeks remaining before the start of this summit of the Christian year, the “Preach” team sought the expertise of two esteemed liturgical scholars and practitioners to give preachers a whistle-stop tour of the readings and liturgies for this sacred week. In conversation with “Preach” host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., Kim Harris and John Baldovin, S.J., discuss the connection of present-day social issues like antisemitism and state-sanctio...
Mar 11, 2024•43 min
“Explain the resurrection to me in two minutes without using any church language.” This is the challenge that Father Rob Galea sets for his staff to ensure they can easily relate to the young people they serve. “That takes practice, and that takes hanging out with the kids and understanding the way they speak, the way they reason.” Rob, originally from Malta, is now a priest in the Diocese of Sandhurst, Victoria, Australia. He has amassed a hundreds of thousands-strong following across social me...
Mar 04, 2024•33 min
The best formation Deacon Steve Kramer has ever received were the four summers he spent as a taxi and limo driver. “It really prepared me for pastoral counseling,” he says of his year’s shuttling people back and forth. “They sit, they open their heart, and pretty much they figure out that they’ll never see you again. So they open up in a different way. On “Preach,” Steve delivers a homily for the Third Sunday of Lent, initiating the Scrutinies for catechumens in the O.C.I.A. process. Departing f...
Feb 26, 2024•44 min
“Effective preaching is like good butter sinking into warm toast,” says Karla Bellinger. “You’ve gotta give the Holy Spirit a little bit of time to do some work.” As the founding executive director of the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas and president of the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics, Karla is filled with bits of wisdom like this for homilists. “The God of the universe who is infinite also wants to be the God who is intimate and close,” Karla says in her ...
Feb 19, 2024•35 min
Russell Pollitt, S.J., approaches his homilies in a manner unlike any other preacher the “Preach” team has yet seen. While some rely on verbatim manuscripts, detailed linear plans, or simply loose notes, when this South African Jesuit priest sits down to write his homily after praying on the Scriptures, the first thing he does is produce an org chart (or organogram, as it’s better known outside the U.S.).” But, by the time Russell stands in front of the congregation to deliver his homily, the or...
Feb 12, 2024•43 min
Cardinal Roche opens the Lenten season on “Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast” with a heartfelt message taken from the Scripture readings for Ash Wednesday: “Come back to me with all your heart.” When asked by host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., why he chose the theme of “Welcome Home” and not to preach “in a heavier way,” to emphasize the penitential nature of the season, the cardinal, who is the most senior Vatican official to appear on the show, simply replies: “Well, because I think, really, tha...
Feb 05, 2024•46 min
You may have seen that we haven’t had any episodes for the last two weeks. We are taking a break after the bumper set of episodes we put together for you during the Advent and Christmas seasons. We are reviewing the results of our survey—which you can still respond to here— and planning our offering for Lent. In the meantime, in this great week when we celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, to racial and social justice in the U.S. and beyond, we’re re-airing an ...
Jan 19, 2024•39 min
Preaching on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, David Neuhaus, S.J., explores a curiosity in the story of the Wise Men’s journey from the East to the Bethlehem manger. “Why didn’t the star take them straight to Bethlehem? Why did it take them to Jerusalem?,” he asks. "I think it took them to Jerusalem, as we are always taken to Jerusalem, because we must encounter the scriptures of Israel,” he continues. “It is from the Scriptures of Israel that they will receive the precise destination ...
Jan 01, 2024•34 min
Yunan Frédéric, a Syriac Catholic priest living in Bethlehem with his Latina-American wife and their three children, preaches on the Feast of the Holy Family, even though the Syriac Church does not observe this feast in its liturgical calendar. For the past two years, he has served as the pastor of the Syriac Catholic community in Bethlehem; a small, largely refugee, Arab-speaking group of about 100 people. [Take a quick listener survey: Tell us what you love about “Preach” and what you’d like u...
Dec 25, 2023•35 min
The anticipated joy of Christmas unfolds against a backdrop of pain and violence this year. “I think one of the most important things in these extremely troubled times is that we do have the lights, both metaphorically and physically,” says Barbara Reid, O.P. “Our most important gift and our most important approach, not only to the advent and Christmas season, but to our lives overall, is never to let hope dim.” [Take a quick listener survey: Tell us what you love about “Preach” and what you’d l...
Dec 18, 2023•35 min
This week on 'Preach,' the script is flipped: Ricardo da Silva, S.J., the regular host, becomes the guest preacher, and Maggi Van Dorn, a usual producer, takes the mic as the host. Maggi and Ricardo, who work together extensively on “Preach,” “Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols” and “Inside the Vatican,” compare how preachers and podcasters alike craft stories to captivate their audience On this Gaudete Sunday, Ricardo invites listeners to identify where they have experienced...
Dec 11, 2023•31 min
Despite his advanced studies in Scripture, it wasn’t until Victor Cancino, S.J., became the resident pastor at St. Ignatius Mission on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana that he properly grasped the Bible’s deep connections with Native American spirituality and practices. “The Bible is from a tribal world with a spirituality that is as old as the people that I’m living with,” Victor says. “We completely forget that and we think of this Roman-Greco society that looks like us, but ...
Dec 04, 2023•36 min
