Conference: We Preach Christ Crucified

“The primary duty of priests is the proclamation of the Gospel of God to all.”  -- Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests (1965), #4

“The homily is… a scriptural interpretation of human existence which enables a community to recognize God’s active presence, to respond to that presence in faith through liturgical word and gesture, and beyond the liturgical assembly, through a life lived in conformity with the Gospel.”  -- U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry, Fulfilled in Your Hearing (1982)

In 1982 the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry issued its document, Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly.  This landmark achievement has guided the understanding and practice of Catholic preaching in the U.S. for the ensuing decades.  Recently the U.S. Bishops announced that a new document on Catholic preaching is in the initial stages of preparation.

To celebrate the renewal of Catholic preaching since the Second Vatican Council, and to reflect upon the current opportunities and challenges in the preaching ministry, the Marten Program is pleased to sponsor We Preach Christ Crucified: A Conference on Catholic Preaching, to be held at the Notre Dame Conference Center June 25-27, 2012.

The keynote presentations will be as follows:

  • The Most Rev. Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S. (Archbishop of San Antonio): “The Joys and Challenges of Catholic Preaching in the U.S. since the Second Vatican Council”
  • Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P. (University of Notre Dame): “Feasting at the Table of the Word: From Dei Verbum to Verbum Domini”
  • John Cavadini (University of Notre Dame): “Preaching and Catechesis: Mending the Rift between Scripture and Doctrine”
  • Fr. Robert Barron (Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture, Mundelein Seminary): “The Word in the World and the Electronic Media: New Challenges and Possibilities”
  • The Most Rev. Robert J. Carlson (Archbishop of Saint Louis and Chair of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations): “The Challenges Ahead for Catholic Preaching in the 21st Century”

In addition, some 16 workshop presentations are planned.

The conference registration fee is $175 (increases to $200 on April 1).  Registration includes the closing banquet and all breaks and receptions.

View the conference brochure (PDF) containing the complete schedule

Register for the conference

Lodging

Housing is available in a University residence hall ($50/night single), which can be reserved through the conference registration website.  Hotel rooms are available at the Morris Inn, the on-campus hotel directly across the street from the Notre Dame Conference Center ($150/night single).  In addition, a block of rooms for conference participants is being held at the nearby Fairfield Inn & Suites.  Other local hotels include (but are not limited to):

Travel

If you are traveling by car or taxi, you may want the GPS address for the Morris Inn.  The Morris Inn is immediately across the street from the Notre Dame Conference Center (McKenna Hall), and is open to the public. The campus is about a ten minute ride from the South Bend Regional Airport, and taxis are generally waiting outside the airport to transport passengers.  The South Bend Regional Airport is currently served by Delta, United, and Allegiant airlines.

South Bend is accessible by air, the South Shore train from Chicago, Amtrak, and Coach USA buses from both O'Hare and Midway airports in Chicago.

A campus map is available at: http://map.nd.edu/ .  The Morris Inn has an adjacent parking lot for hotel guests.  Public parking is available near the Notre Dame Conference Center (McKenna Hall) in either the Visitors' Lot or at the Notre Dame Bookstore.