RECENT CLASS SUMMARY — For our class in May, we studied Homiletics or Preaching the Word of God. One of the roles of a Deacon is to preach on the Word of God during the celebration of Holy Mass. The goal of preaching is to hopefully facilitate dialogue between God, people, and life in the 21st century that is transformative.
To prepare for this class, we read the book Communicating for a Change, by Andy Stanley. The book provided a repeatable preaching formula of prayer, preparation and message delivery. In addition, the book emphasized the importance of preaching on just one idea and not trying to cover multiple ideas. The one idea approach helps an audience receive a distinct message that is easy to remember. Also, the class emphasized obtaining feedback from a valuable resource…our spouses! As we practice preaching, our spouses are one of the best sources of honest and sometimes raw feedback.😀 Overall, the class helped me to see preaching as an interpretation of life through the lens of sacred scripture.
DEACON MENTOR — Everyone in formation has been assigned to an experienced Deacon Mentor. Classmate Doug Lugge and I have been working with Deacon Jim Law. Deacon Jim and his wife have been extremely valuable in helping us prepare spiritually for the Ministry of Deacon.
IMPORTANT DATE — The completion date for Deacon formation is set for next year, June 3, 2023. The ordination ceremony will take place at the Belleville Cathedral and more details to follow as we get closer.
WHATS NEXT — In June, we will study the Deacon’s role during the celebration of the Holy Mass. This class will wrap up our 4th year of formation! In August, we will be visiting St Meinrad Seminary for a weeklong class on Homiletics which will start our final year! For a complete list of classes and to check my progress toward completion click Here. Thanks for checking out my post!