Festival of the Word
In its quest to ignite a homiletic revival in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, CPI hosts an annual celebration of the Word — to showcase the theory and practice of compelling preaching. Through these annual gatherings — open to the public with free admission — we will bring to life the Seminary’s motto: exiit qui seminat ~ “he went forth who sows.”
The inaugural celebration — on October 4, 2025 — took the form of a “festival” that engaged church leaders, prominent speakers, local clergy, seminarians, and lay faithful in a variety of events. For more information on that festival, check out these links to the schedule, the speakers, and a news story promoting the event.
Future celebrations will take shape as an evening Symposium focusing on the rich tradition of preaching by Doctors of the Church. Each symposium will feature “The Loquitor Lecture” by a prominent expert, a response from a local preachers, and discussion with the audience.
Join us on Wednesday evening, October 7, 2026 to celebrate the preaching legacy of the newest Doctor of the Church … ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN.
The lecture for this occasion will be delivered by Kenneth Parker, Ph.D., who holds the Ryan Endowed Chair in Newman Studies at Duquesne University. There he also chairs the Department of Catholic Studies and is a Professor of Historical Theology.
Full details on the evening’s events will be posted here in the Fall.
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.
