Special to The Texas Catholic
Dale and Joyce Szyndrowski of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano listened carefully to Deacon Luis Boy preach his Sunday homily. For this past year, they have participated in the St. Joseph’s Preachers program, a lay listener course offered through the Institute for Homiletics where parishioners learn how to listen attentively during homilies.
“We are really pleased to get to work with Deacon Luis, who has already become more prayer-centered and focused,” Dale said. “Now, because of his homily, I know what I can do to apply the Gospel message in my life.”
Both Deacon Boy and Father Jason Cargo, pastor of St. Mark, currently participate in the Preaching for Encounter program offered through the Institute for Homiletics.
“This work is essential,” Father Cargo said. “Making real connections with people during the homily is one of the most important things a preacher can do.”
For instance, Joyce recalled one of Father Cargo’s homilies that connected the Gospel with expectant mothers.
“Father Jason invited us to imagine the Holy Family traveling with baby Jesus — and even what might have been in their ‘diaper bag,’” she said. “At the end, he handed that bag to a newly expectant mother. Walking with her in the months that followed was special.”
Joyce said that since she and her husband have learned how to actively listen to a homily, they have become amazed how often their preachers make them more aware of someone in their midst.
Almost 800 lay people around the country have participated in the St. Joseph’s Preachers program since 2022, including 380 people from the Diocese of Dallas. Participants pray for, encourage, and walk alongside a priest or deacon as he grows in preaching.
Nancy Crowe has led a lay group at All Saints in Dallas since 2022. The group continues even though their preacher graduated from the Preaching for Encounter program in 2024.
The All Saints group boasts a variety of backgrounds.
“When we come together in faith, any barriers are gone,” she explained. “We support our deacon, and we learn so much together. It is easy to hear what was shared in the homily echoed in conversations around the parish, and it is strengthening our community.”
“When homilies touch the hearts of the faithful, they can then carry the fire of the Gospel into their homes, workplaces, and their everyday lives,” explained Karla J. Bellinger, the founding executive director of the Institute for Homiletics. “The opportunity for evangelization through the Sunday liturgical homily is tremendous.”
Through the programs of the Institute for Homiletics, both preachers and their lay supporters work together to strengthen the Church by helping liturgical preaching to flourish.
“For our children and our children’s children who are seeking some answers,” Jim Moroney III said, “we need to preach to them in a way that sets their hearts on fire for Jesus’ love.”
Moroney, former publisher of The Dallas Morning News, has a passion for effective preaching. He will be honored with the annual Catholic Foundation Award for 2026, in part for his philanthropic work in raising funds to endow the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas.
Moroney recognizes the homily as one of the most powerful opportunities for people to meet God. Without an encounter, he notes, it is easy to lose interest in faith — especially for young people.
“We know priests and deacons are already stretched thin; yet, if the Apostles had not gone out and preached, there would be no Church,” he said. “I believe the Holy Spirit wants us to help preachers craft homilies that can become a true ‘doorway to the Eucharist.’”
Editor’s Note: For more information and to support the growth of these initiatives, visit www.instituteforhomiletics.org.
Cutline for featured image: The current cohort of the Preaching for Encounter program comes from California, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. Each preacher has a group of lay parishioners walking alongside him. The next cohort is now forming to begin the program in the Spring of 2026. (Courtesy photo)
