Phatmass Priests: Need You In Here

[Gabriela]

I am seriously considering a PhD dissertation topic that would involve interviewing priests, seminary students, and seminary administrators. (Plus possibly polling some parishioners...) But before I settle on this topic, I need to know if it will be of some use to the Church. If you are a priest, or were ever in seminary, or work in a seminary, could you please answer as many of the following questions as you are able/feel comfortable?

 

1) What do priests learn about the fundamentals of public speaking? It seems to me, from reviewing seminary websites, that all of their homiletics courses are taught by theologians, not communication teachers. Do priests learn anything about the homiletic genre, rhetoric, public speaking (delivery, effectiveness, audience analysis, message adaptation, anxiety management, etc.)?

 

2) How are priests taught to prepare homilies? To deliver them?

 

3) What are some things that priests struggle the most with in preparing homilies, or in learning to speak publicly?

 

4) What most helps priests to learn to prepare and deliver homilies?

 

5) What are some strategies or experiences that have helped you (if you are a priest) to prepare and deliver more effective homilies? Is there a memorable moment or a turning point in your "homiletic career" that stands out to you? Have you ever received especially good advice about the preparation or delivery of homilies? What was that advice? What difference did it to make to you/your homilies/your parishioners?

 

6) What do you wish you had learned about the homiletic genre, rhetoric, or public speaking in seminary that you were not taught? Why do you think you were not taught that?

 

7) Are you happy with your homilies? With your public speaking (preparation and delivery) skills? How do you feel about giving homilies?

 

8) Is there anything you feel prevents you from reaching your potential as a preacher? If so, what? Is there anything others can do to help?

 

9) Have you ever delivered a homily that your parishioners gave you many compliments for? Or a homily that you felt was exceptional? What was different about that homily/those homilies? Did you prepare differently? Deliver differently?

 

10) Do you read or watch other priests/preachers give homilies/sermons? Do you "take cues" from what you see in others' "style"? Do you analyze others' preaching?

 

11) Do you believe that one can improve one's public speaking ability, in preparation and/or delivery, or do you believe that public speaking is a "natural talent" that cannot be much improved by learning/practice?

 

12) Is there anything else about the experience of learning homiletics/public speaking, or of preparing or delivering homilies that you would like to mention?

 

Twelve is a nice biblical number. I'll leave it at that. ;-) Please answer as much or little as you'd like. Anything you can tell me would be very helpful.

 

Thank you, gentlemen, and God bless you!

 

 

Edited June 15, 2013 by curiousing

[CatherineM]

I'm not a priest or seminarian, but I go to school with them. I attend the theological college attached to the seminary that trains all the seminarians in western Canada. I'd be willing to pass your survey around in the Fall if you decide to do the project.

[Luigi]

POSSIBLE RESOURCE: Aquinas Institute of Theology, a Dominican graduate school. It seems they offer a doctoral degree in preaching.

 

http://ai.connectingmembers.com/BecomeaStudent/AcademicPrograms/DMininPreaching.aspx

 

 

 

[Gabriela]

I'm not a priest or seminarian, but I go to school with them. I attend the theological college attached to the seminary that trains all the seminarians in western Canada. I'd be willing to pass your survey around in the Fall if you decide to do the project.

That would be a.wesome, CatherineM. Thank you so much for offering! I will certainly keep it in mind. :-)

 

POSSIBLE RESOURCE: Aquinas Institute of Theology, a Dominican graduate school. It seems they offer a doctoral degree in preaching.

 

http://ai.connectingmembers.com/BecomeaStudent/AcademicPrograms/DMininPreaching.aspx

Looking into this... Thank you!

[AnneLine]

Those Dominicans are awesome preachers!   They start training the future seminarians to give talks while still in the novitiate, and I am pretty sure they have specialized classes for them. 

 

You might want to check with each of the provinces (and probably smilar contacts could be made to any of the provinces for any of the religious orders.... or seminaries for dioceses) to get subjects for your questionnaire...

 

Also... if you are trying to get info from people who WERE in seminary but discerned out... they would never open a thread with this title. For a lot of them, it would be just too painful. So.....

 

If you want feedback from them, you might want to open a separate thread asking for those who were in formation for seminary or religious life for feedback...

 

I also have a good friend who is in the local diocesan seminary who is making preaching a special focus of his future ministry... can probably get him to connect with you if you want. 

 

Do you have some way you want people to connect with you if they aren't on Phatmass?  or don't want to answer in either an open mic or PM forum?

 

 

[CatholicCid]

One thing to keep in mind would be to make distinctions between Orders and secular priests. The Dominican charism is preaching. They are the Order of Preachers. So, the focus they put on preaching will be noticeably more than other clergy. Yet, even within their own US provinces, the approaches to such training is drastically different. With secular, or diocesan, clergy, their training will be markedly distinguished depending on where they attended seminary. 

Edited June 16, 2013 by CatholicCid

[Gabriela]

Those Dominicans are amesome preachers!   They start training the future seminarians to give talks while still in the novitiate, and I am pretty sure they have specialized classes for them. 

 

You might want to check with each of the provinces (and probably smilar contacts could be made to any of the provinces for any of the religious orders.... or seminaries for dioceses) to get subjects for your questionnaire...

 

Also... if you are trying to get info from people who WERE in seminary but discerned out... they would never open a thread with this title. For a lot of them, it would be just too painful. So.....

 

If you want feedback from them, you might want to open a separate thread asking for those who were in formation for seminary or religious life for feedback...

 

I also have a good friend who is in the local diocesan seminary who is making preaching a special focus of his future ministry... can probably get him to connect with you if you want. 

 

Do you have some way you want people to connect with you if they aren't on Phatmass?  or don't want to answer in either an open mic or PM forum?

 

All good advice. I'm not ready to start formal research yet. Have to talk to the advisor. But I've favorited this thread so I don't lose the advice contained herein. If my advisor likes the topic, I will get in touch with you. Thank you very much, AnneLine! :-)

[Gabriela]

One thing to keep in mind would be to make distinctions between Orders and secular priests. The Dominican charism is preaching. They are the Order of Preachers. So, the focus they put on preaching will be noticeably more than other clergy. Yet, even within their own US provinces, the approaches to such training is drastically different. With secular, or diocesan, clergy, their training will be markedly distinguished depending on where they attended seminary. 

 

Yes, I'm aware of this. I'm looking to target diocesan priests, probably who aren't in religious orders. But the Catholic campus ministry at Purdue is run by Dominican brothers, so I may be in just the right place to do this research. It could be interesting to take what training the Dominicans receive and try to apply it to diocesan priests who aren't in religious orders. As an "exemplary method", so to speak.