Bishop speaks about preaching at Harrisburg convocation
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
At the invitation of Bishop Ronald Gainer of Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., addressed the priests of the Harrisburg Diocese Oct. 23 at their annual convocation in Hunt Valley Inn near Baltimore. He gave three talks to the gathered assembly, speaking on the topic of preaching.
“All the surveys have shown that Catholics in the pews are looking for better homilies from their parish priests,” Bishop O’Connell observed. “The weekend homily is the one point in the week when the priest has the opportunity to speak to the largest cross-section of parishioners,” he continued. “Jesus proclaimed ‘Good News’ so we should be joyful and enthusiastic about what Vatican II has called our “primary task” as priests.
Bishop O’Connell’s talks focused upon three aspects of contemporary preaching: “Preaching the ‘New Evangelization’,” “Catechetical Preaching,” and “Preaching Politics from the Pulpit.”
“The ‘New Evangelization’ calls us all to deepen our faith,” Bishop O’Connell said in his first talk. “As priests, we cannot NOT preach the ‘New Evangelization’ ... our people need to hear it. They are desperate for God’s Word in a world filled with words that are contrary.”
Bishop O’Connell went on to share insights from Vatican II and recent popes on the role preaching plays in evangelization. He talked about Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Billy Graham and other great preachers of the 20th century, demonstrating why they were so effective. “They preached God’s Word with energy and conviction, with enthusiasm and joy as though nothing was more important to them.”
In his address on “Catechetical Preaching,” Bishop O’Connell shared with the Harrisburg presbyterate the experience of the Diocese of Trenton during the “Year of Faith.” One Sunday each month, priests and deacons throughout the Diocese were asked to preach on a topic of importance highlighted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Twelve priests of the Diocese prepared homily guides on these topics which were distributed to the clergy for their consideration and use.
Using St. Matthew’s Gospel message, “render unto Caesar” as a point of departure, Bishop O’Connell cautioned the gathered priest assembly to “preach principles, not politics. Throw your lot in with the Gospel and with Church teaching, not the politics that tries to hijack them. Help your parishioners understand what it is that we teach and why, rather than who to vote for or which political party to join.”
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At the invitation of Bishop Ronald Gainer of Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., addressed the priests of the Harrisburg Diocese Oct. 23 at their annual convocation in Hunt Valley Inn near Baltimore. He gave three talks to the gathered assembly, speaking on the topic of preaching.
“All the surveys have shown that Catholics in the pews are looking for better homilies from their parish priests,” Bishop O’Connell observed. “The weekend homily is the one point in the week when the priest has the opportunity to speak to the largest cross-section of parishioners,” he continued. “Jesus proclaimed ‘Good News’ so we should be joyful and enthusiastic about what Vatican II has called our “primary task” as priests.
Bishop O’Connell’s talks focused upon three aspects of contemporary preaching: “Preaching the ‘New Evangelization’,” “Catechetical Preaching,” and “Preaching Politics from the Pulpit.”
“The ‘New Evangelization’ calls us all to deepen our faith,” Bishop O’Connell said in his first talk. “As priests, we cannot NOT preach the ‘New Evangelization’ ... our people need to hear it. They are desperate for God’s Word in a world filled with words that are contrary.”
Bishop O’Connell went on to share insights from Vatican II and recent popes on the role preaching plays in evangelization. He talked about Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Billy Graham and other great preachers of the 20th century, demonstrating why they were so effective. “They preached God’s Word with energy and conviction, with enthusiasm and joy as though nothing was more important to them.”
In his address on “Catechetical Preaching,” Bishop O’Connell shared with the Harrisburg presbyterate the experience of the Diocese of Trenton during the “Year of Faith.” One Sunday each month, priests and deacons throughout the Diocese were asked to preach on a topic of importance highlighted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Twelve priests of the Diocese prepared homily guides on these topics which were distributed to the clergy for their consideration and use.
Using St. Matthew’s Gospel message, “render unto Caesar” as a point of departure, Bishop O’Connell cautioned the gathered priest assembly to “preach principles, not politics. Throw your lot in with the Gospel and with Church teaching, not the politics that tries to hijack them. Help your parishioners understand what it is that we teach and why, rather than who to vote for or which political party to join.”
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