Festival of the Word
On Saturday, October 4, the Catholic Preaching Institute hosted its first “festival” celebration to showcase the theory and practice of compelling preaching. Through these annual gatherings, we will bring to life the Seminary’s motto: exiit qui seminat ~ “he went forth who sows.”
Open to the public with free admission, the 2025 festival sought to engage church leaders, prominent speakers, local clergy, seminarians, and lay faithful in a variety of events that highlight the ongoing proclamation of the Word of God.
- Follow this link to view the SCHEDULE for the 2025 festival.
- Follow this link for biographical information on the SPEAKERS at the 2025 festival.
- Follow this link for a NEWS STORY on CatholicPhilly.com about the 2025 festival.
For the next Festival — to take place on Wednesday evening, October 7, 2026 — we plan to showcase “Doctors of the Word” with a lecture, response, and discussion about one of history’s great preachers, the newly proclaim Doctor of the Church: ST. JOHN NEWMAN.
Save the date … and check back in the Spring for more details!
On Saturday, October 4, the Catholic Preaching Institute hosted its first “festival” celebration to showcase the theory and practice of compelling preaching.
The festival series engages church leaders, prominent speakers, local clergy, seminarians, and lay faithful in a variety of events that highlight the ongoing proclamation of the Word of God. Through these annual gatherings, we will bring to life the Seminary’s motto: exiit qui seminat ~ “he went forth who sows.”
The inaugural festival included multiple sessions:
- “Prospective Preachers” … in which select representatives from M.Div. granting seminaries in the Philadelphia area show off their sermonizing in a friendly competition
- “Concurrent Seminars” … featuring expert discussions of how the Word is communicated from the pulpit or through other means (scholarly, artistic, literary, or digital)
- a “Keynote Presentation” … in which a distinguished preacher preaches about preaching, followed by a talk-back session
All events during the Festival are open to the public with free admission.
