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Avoiding Burnout
Jim Lundholm-Eades Comments Off on Avoiding Burnout
Some years ago, at the request of a bishop, I spoke with nine priests of his diocese who had experienced a very significant level of burnout. All of them had periods of hospitalization, all were in therapy, and five of them were on prescription medication for anxiety, depression or other conditions related to their burnout. Read More
‘Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus’
Father John G. McDonald Comments Off on ‘Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus’
My first parish assignment as a seminarian was in Anniston, Alabama, a small and sleepy Southern city between Birmingham and Atlanta. Anniston is home to an old and well-established Catholic minority, and they have grown and built a beautiful new church retaining the name of the original parish, Sacred Heart. That summer, I often lectored Read More
Feedback from the Flock
Paul Senz Comments Off on Feedback from the Flock
Every congregation is different. And certainly, every congregation’s response to a given priest’s homily is going to be different. In order to have the most effective communication with the congregation, priests benefit in knowing how their homilies are being received. In this way, it is important for priests to be able to receive feedback on Read More
5 Tips for Preaching to Children
Father Joshua J. Whitfield Comments Off on 5 Tips for Preaching to Children
Preaching to children belongs to the work of the priest. In Ars, France, every day in the school called La Providence, St. John Vianney talked to children for about an hour. For decades it’s how he taught the Faith, simply and plainly. Soon not only children but adults came to hear him speak. Really, he Read More
The Homilist’s Craft: Communication is Connection
Father Richard R. De Lillio Comments Off on The Homilist’s Craft: Communication is Connection
After creating Eve and Adam, God placed them in the Garden of Eden, where God enjoyed spending time with them. In fact, God’s favorite time of day was walking together with them in the cool of the evening. During these conversations, Adam, Eve and God built their friendship. This description from Genesis of their relationship Read More
Preaching at Weddings
Father Don Talafous Comments Off on Preaching at Weddings
“You are making a 100% commitment to something about which you are 51% sure.” — Albert Camus Many readers have presided at many more weddings than the author. I think of harassed priests and deacons who preside at several over a weekend. Unlike them, I’ve usually had time to work on a homily. So, at Read More
Intense and Happy Experience
Father Michael E. Connors Comments Off on Intense and Happy Experience
When I first read Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), I laughed aloud when I came upon this sentence: “We know that the faithful attach great importance to , and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them Read More
A Ministry of Mercy
Father Ronald D. Witherup Comments Off on A Ministry of Mercy
Recently, in the wake of ongoing revelations about sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, I had the unfortunate experience of being spit upon in a Paris Metro. My Roman collar gave away my identity, but I have no idea who the stranger was, though her animosity was clear. While the experience was perhaps unusual, Read More