The Deacon

Albert King was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. Nicknamed “The Velvet Bulldozer,” King once wrote a song called, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (But Nobody Wants to Die).” Now you may be thinking, “This is mildly interesting, but why is he telling me this?”

Here’s why: It dawned on me that every clergyman wants to be a better preacher, but (almost) nobody wants to put in the work that’s required. I admit that’s a tortured analogy, but the fact remains that getting better at anything requires work. Where does one even begin to become a better preacher?

Well, here’s a thought: Consider the two-year formation program offered by the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas, which has been strengthening the preaching of bishops, priests and deacons since it opened in 2021.

The Institute was established after a 2018 survey found that more than 85% of parishioners in the Diocese of Dallas viewed quality preaching from the pulpit as either very or extremely important — and the collective grade they gave to the preaching they received was a C+.

Those findings spurred a collaboration among the diocese, the University of Dallas and the Catholic Foundation to help priests and deacons “enhance their preaching in ways that will positively transform lives and create deep-rooted encounters with God,” as Bishop Edward J. Burns explained in the Texas Catholic in 2022.

Dr. Karla Bellinger, formerly of the John S. Marten Program for Homiletics and Liturgics at the University of Notre Dame, was hired as the institute’s founding executive director. “The purpose of the program is to renew the preachers in order to renew preaching,” Bellinger told Texas Catholic.

“The purpose of preaching is to encounter God; preaching that raises their hearts, minds and souls to God.”

A Unique Approach

The result is a two-year formation program that includes monthly peer-learning groups, one-on-one coaching with an expert homiletician and four spiritual retreats with learners from all over the country. The institute also has something truly unique that it calls the St. Joseph Preacher’s Program: Each preacher curates a diverse group of eight to ten lay parishioners who agree to support the preacher through his two years of formation — praying for him, giving him feedback and serving as a conversation partner as he prepares and delivers homilies.

The program doesn’t just create better preachers; it also creates better listeners. Since the start of the institute, hundreds and hundreds of laypeople have learned what constitutes a good homily and have learned how to give constructive feedback to their preacher. The result is a more didactic encounter during the preaching event. Finally, twice a year, the entire congregation is invited to give feedback to a preacher through online surveys and evaluations, the results of which are shared with the homilist.

Priests and deacons from five dioceses — Dallas, San Antonio, Gary, Chicago and Joliet — are participating in the institute’s current cohort. For more information, visit the institute’s website at instituteforhomiletics.org.

DEACON VICTOR PUSCAS is director of diaconate formation for the Diocese of Joliet, in Illinois. He holds a D.Min. degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.