Homiletics Series

Presented in partnership with the Association of US Catholic Priests.

This four-part series was designed for both the new and seasoned homilist. The series aimed to strengthen and refresh your approach to the homily by offering a thoughtful return to the essentials of effective preaching alongside fresh insights and practical tools. 

This series was designed for:
Priests and deacons, as well as laity who are currently participating in—or have completed—a preaching program.

• Session 1: Tuesday, February 24, 2026: Listen to the recording
  Purpose of Preaching: What are we trying to do?  What is preaching's goal or purpose?
• Session 2: Wednesday, February 25, 2026: Listen to the recording
  Participant experience sharing: breakout groups to facilitate sharing of successful preaching experiences.
• Session 3: Monday, March 2, 2026: Listen to the recording
  Preaching for the listener: What are some basic points to keep in mind in making preaching memorable/sticky/ impactful?  Unity, good news, context, etc.
• Session 4: Wednesday, March 4, 2026:  Listen to the recording
  Elements of style and language: Mind (= cognition + imagination), heart, and will; the language(s) of spirituality, form or structure, delivery. 

Books referenced by Father Michael, with his notes:

Thomas G. Long, The Witness of Preaching, 3rd ed. (Westminster John Knox, 2016).

• Tom Long is a Presbyterian minister, now retired from Candler School of Theology at Emory University after a long and distinguished career teaching homiletics.  I highly recommend any of his many books.  This one is especially comprehensive.

Chip Heath & Dan Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (Random House, 2007).

• As I mentioned in one of our sessions, this is not a religious book.  However, “stickiness” should concern us as preachers, and this book stimulates thinking about that.

Karla J. Bellinger, Connecting Pulpit and Pew: Breaking Open the Conversation about Catholic Preaching (Liturgical Press, 2014).

• Bellinger was my colleague in the Marten Program in Preaching at Notre Dame for five years.  She now directs the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas.  This book has some interesting results from her study of how youth and young adults receive the preaching they hear.

Fred B. Craddock, Preaching (Abingdon Press, 1985).

• The late Fred Craddock is sometimes credited with beginning the “New Homiletic” movement.  A master storyteller, this is his basic textbook on preaching.

June Assembly of the Association of United States Catholic Priests

With a theme of "Building the Future: Church, Priesthood and Global Engagement," this year's June Assembly of the AUSCP promises to be refreshing and inspiring. Learn more about this annual gathering by downloading this flyer. 

Presenter: 

Father Michael Connors, CSC Th.D. is a Holy Cross priest at the University of Notre Dame, and director emeritus of the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics.  He was a member of the Theology faculty at Notre Dame from 1997 to 2024. He is the editor of five books on preaching, the author of Preaching for Discipleship: Preparing Homilies for Christian Initiation (Liturgy Training Publications, 2018), and co-author with Karla Bellinger of Remembering Why We Preach: A Retreat to Renew Your Spirit and Skill (Ave Maria Press, 2022).  He resides at Notre Dame in an undergraduate men's hall.

Facilitator:

Father Steve Newton, CSC is a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross and a Notre Dame graduate who majored in English, with minor in Philosophy, Theology, and Languages.  Currently, he serves as Executive Director of the Association of US Catholic Priests. Pastoral experiences include many positions in various schools, parishes and institutions throughout Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, and East Africa. He has been a teacher, Notre Dame Rector, founder of addictions treatment programs in the US and abroad, pastor, school president, and was the first director of the South Bend Center for the Homeless.  In addition to his ND degree he has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, Chicago, IL and a Doctorate of Public Service (HC) from the University of Portland, OR, where he was also commencement speaker. 

Organizations:

The John S. and Viginia A. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics is Notre Dame's response to the universal plea for preaching renewal. In service to the Church’s work of proclaiming Jesus Christ, we seek to form preachers who are faithful witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus and effective communicators of the kerygma. Learn more here.

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests was founded in 2011 to be the pastoral and collegial voice of our member priests, all in good standing in dioceses and religious communities. Inspired by the teachings of Vatican II and by the call of Pope Francis to synodality, we invite the participation of all the members of the People of God. Learn more here. 

The National Catholic Reporter:
Founded in 1964, the National Catholic Reporter is a nonprofit, independent publication, guided by a dedicated lay-led staff and board of directors. With foundational principles that are rooted in Catholic social teaching, NCR connects Catholics to church, faith, and the common good with independent news, analysis, and spiritual reflection.