Rev. James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L. | Diocese of Lincoln website

Speakers from the McGrath Institute for Church Life recently visited the Diocese of Lincoln as part of the "Prepare and Proclaim: Enriching Our Mass Experience" initiative. This program seeks to improve homilies and encourage parishioners to better receive them.

According to the Code of Canon Law, “Among the forms of preaching, the homily, which is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon, is preeminent; in the homily, the mysteries of faith and the norms of Christian life are to be explained from the sacred text during the course of the liturgical year.”

Craig Gould, program director for Notre Dame Vision, presented at Pius X High School. His session titled "What Do You Know?" was attended by students across six high schools in the diocese via livestream. Gould emphasized translating faith knowledge into action and used visuals like night skies to illustrate understanding deepening with proximity to Christ.

“If you don’t actually come closer to Jesus,” Gould stated, “you can’t simply say, by going through the motions or doing everything you’re supposed to do, that you know Jesus.”

Later at St. Mary Church in Lincoln, Dr. Joshua McManaway and Carolyn Pirtle delivered talks open to all attendees. McManaway's presentation focused on seeing Christ throughout Scripture while Pirtle discussed encountering God's beauty through art and music.

“A Catholic reading of Scripture is one that finds Christ on every page,” McManaway explained.

Pirtle noted, “We’re losing our capacity for wonder and for encountering the transcendent... Spending time with and praying with sacred, religious, Christian art can help us recultivate that capacity for contemplation—it can help us see again.”

The event provided insights for enriching faith through various means.

On Tuesday at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, McManaway and Pirtle were joined by Father Michael Wurtz during a "Priest Study Day." Father Wurtz spoke about crafting homilies with authenticity while focusing on Gospel teachings.

Father Caleb La Rue appreciated this perspective: “I appreciated his insight into the idea of a priest as an artist in classical sense...”

Full presentations are available on YouTube via Catholic Diocese channels.

The Diocese plans continued collaboration with McGrath Institute for ongoing development within its communities under this initiative.