Preaching Institute offered

PREACHING INSTITUTE Jesuit Father Thomas Scirghi (right), associate professor of theology at Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y., spoke on Nov. 7 for the first workshop of the Diocese’s Preaching Institute at St. Paul Inside the Walls, Madison. Standing with Father Scirghi is Deacon Peter Cistaro, diocesan director of the permanent diaconate, who helped develop the ongoing series.

MADISON  Last week, 75 priests and deacons of the Paterson Diocese were reminded to take time in preparing homilies that not only “teach, delight and move” the faithful, but also ultimately “bring them to the Lord.”

“Don’t stand outside. Show people in; draw them in from the inside,” Jesuit Father Thomas Scirghi, associate professor of theology at Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y., told priests and deacons, who participated in the first workshop of the Diocese’s Preaching Institute that was held Nov. 7 at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard here. “For the assembly, where Christ is present, we exegete [interpret] the Word. The Word proclaimed becomes Eucharist and preaching moves us to the [Eucharistic] Table.”

Father Scirghi spoke two topics — “The Purpose of Preaching” and “Preaching for the Lost Generation” — during an afternoon and again at an evening session. The workshop focused on the theological foundations of preaching: why priests and deacons preach. It ended with a question-and-answer session between Father Scirghi and the audience.

“This series will offer priests and deacons remedial help and development, so their preaching can be as good is it can be,” said Deacon Peter Cistaro, director of the diocesan Permanent Diaconate, who developed the series with Father Paul Manning, diocesan vicar for evangelization and St. Paul’s executive director — at the suggestion of Bishop Serratelli. “We want to assure that we give our parishioners the best homilies.”

In his talk, Father Scirghi asserted, “the problem with preaching is not intelligence or eloquence; it’s a lack of diligence — taking the time to prepare.”

“The best compliment a homilist can receive is, ‘You really believe what you said.’ Speaking is like a great meal: it takes a lot of work,” said Father Scirghi, who then quoted from the “Decree on the Ministry of Priests” — that the ordained have the foremost task of preaching the Gospel to all people.

St. Augustine instructed preachers to teach — to give greater understanding of Scripture and doctrine, delight — to inspire and fill people with the Holy Spirit as the “Word pierces their hearts” and move — to motivate them to do what God wants them to do, Father Scirghi said.

“Words are powerful and we need to assure that our words matter. Careful preparation shows the congregation we care for them. Chose your words carefully,” the presenter said.

Father Scirghi also spoke about reaching and preaching to the millennial generation of young people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. They have been described as the “nones” — people, who are disinterested in traditional notions of “faith.” Instead, they have cultivated their own “spiritual mix and match, blending a number of traditions and adhering to no one in particular, he said.

“They [millennials] are seekers. They have a sense that the questions are bigger than the answers they are getting. So they ask, ‘What is this faith tradition giving me — and failing to give me?’ ” said Father Scirghi, who emphasized that faith journeys involve doubt. “We [preachers] are missionaries, bringing faith to seekers. The Lord has given you and me a well trained tongue, to speak to the weary — and seekers — the Word that will rouse them,” the priest said.

Weddings and funerals often provide opportunities to preach to seekers because weddings “highlight human love as the ultimate friendship,” while funerals “show care for the deceased and hope [for everlasting life],” Father Scirghi said.

Over the next two years, the Diocese will offer a series of workshops for the Preaching Institute, which will cover the following topics: models for homily preparation, the content and the styles of delivering the homily. Each workshop will be offered twice — once in an afternoon session and again in the evening session — to allow for as many of us as possible to participate. The schedule of workshops has yet to be determined, Deacon Cistaro said.

In a letter inviting clergy and priests to the Nov. 7 workshop, Bishop Serratelli quoted Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” in calling the homily “the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people.”

“Each of the popes that we have known in our lifetime, like Pope Francis, have encouraged us to carefully and courageously pray over, prepare for and deliver effective homilies. Over and over again, they have called us to make the most of the opportunity we have to preach the Word of God and to improve our homiletic skills,” Bishop Serratelli wrote in the invitation letter. “We know and cherish the privilege of preaching. “We also know that it can be a challenge, and that we can always use help to become better at it, for the glory of God and the good of our people,” he wrote.

One of the workshop participants was Father Brendan Murray, pastor of Sacred Heart Queen of the Most Holy Rosary and Sacred Heart parishes, both in Dover, who called it “helpful.”

“It was encouraging to hear why we preach a homily. It also was encouraging that Father Scirghi reminded us to prepare our homilies well. We all need to hear that again,” Father Murray said.