REVISITING AND RENEWING THE PURPOSES AND PRACTICES OF PREACHING AS PRIESTS...........

Our two priest facilitators on the topic of Sunday preaching on Tuesday at the annual Sacramento Diocesan Priests Study Days, both with extensive experience teaching, writing, and evaluating, the preaching of priests, led two very intensive sessions with us yesterday.  The  morning gathering began with a panel of three of our diocesan priests, one a newly ordained priest, another, an international priest in our diocese more than a decade, the third, a native born vocation, nearly thirty years a priest.  The facilitators directed them to respond to questions they asked about their preaching styles and experiences, with both positive and negative outcomes, and how they prepare the homilies they preach, how they feel about what they preach, and the response and effectiveness their preaching has on the people in the congregation.  This session was titled, "The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Preaching".  In small groups we were directed to respond to sharing what we were taught in the semionary about Preaching and what our personal experiences of Preaching are, with the underscoring of the importance of the time we take to preach - 5 to10 minutes being the optrimum.  The afternoon focus was centered around what our image as Preachers we have of Ourselves, and a paradigm of Three Images of a Preacher.  The three images we explored in that session were : 1.) One Who Names Grace;  2.) Interpreter Of The Scriptures;  3.) Theological Reflector.  We discussed at length with them and in a question and answer period, how therse three images of preaching can focus our message and making our connection with the congregation and the effectiveness of homiletic enterprise in delivering a clear, concise, and concrete, message that is received and understood by those hearing us preach.  Today, we will concentrate on the, "Catholic Vision Of The Homily", and "Preaching Resources", to prepare and give our homilies more productively by...........In The Spirit Of Renewing Our Priestly Preaching Ministry,   Fr.  Troy