Updates
In Memoriam: Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., editor emeritus of Homiletic & Pastoral Review, died on August 6, 2026. He assumed leadership of HPR in 1971 and held his position for almost forty years, in addition to many other apostolates in media … continue reading..
New Articles
Homilies for September 2026
For September 6, September 13, September 14 (Exaltation of the Cross), September 15 (Our Lady of Sorrows), September 20, and September 27 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 6, 2026 Readings: Ezekiel 33:7–9 • Psalm 95:1–2, 6–7, 8–9 • Romans 13:8–10 • Matthew 18:15–20 bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090626.cfm This Sunday’s Gospel passage presents us with something quite […]
Forming the Mind and Heart of the Priest
Culture is the air one breathes; it is the environment in which one’s habits, values, and patterns of thought are engendered. Psychological data has shown that current cultural factors and influences pose major threats to the appropriate development of men and women, either causing psychological underdevelopment or maldevelopment; “these threats include divorce, single-parent families, child […]
The Fathers We Are Losing
Priests are leaving active ministry in their middle years, and we have not reckoned with why. This essay offers a partial answer from an unlikely source: the developmental psychology of Maria Montessori, which treats every crisis not as a malfunction but as an engine of growth. Read through that lens, the priest’s midlife is a […]
Antioch’s Flesh and Bone: Rereading Scripture Beyond Fundamentalism and Suspicion
Along the dusty banks of the Orontes, in a city where merchants’ voices collided with imperial decrees and parish quarrels, the Antiochene masters learned to read Scripture under pressure. Not the pressure of modern ideology, but the older kind: real congregations, real crises, real grief, real sin — and a Word that had to be […]
Catholic Financial Management: Relational, Pastoral, Mission-driven and Synodal
Any reflection on financial management in the Catholic Church in the US could easily focus on policy, on USCCB guidelines, Canon Law or similar matters. My focus here is to make five points about the culture and practice of financial management in parishes and dioceses in the US today and to point toward key features […]
Reflections on a Bobblehead
Cleaning out sixty years of my predecessor’s accumulated stuff from my latest rectory was a matter of triage: what could I clean and use, what could I sell on eBay, and what should go in the 40-cubic-yard dumpster I quickly filled to overflow. One item that went immediately into the eBay box was a bobblehead […]
Questions Answered – September 2026
Pope Saint Paul VI’s Credo of the People of God Question One: I read that Pope Saint Paul VI wrote a Creed. What was it and was it ever prayed at Mass? Answer: In the turbulent years following the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church faced a period of confusion and controversy. Doctrinal disputes, liturgical […]
Book Reviews – September 2026
The Diaconate Revisited: Questions and Developments Since Vatican II. By Marc B. Caron. Reviewed by Rev. Ryan Connors. (skip to review) Autonomy, Consciousness, and Personhood: A Primer for the Public Dialogue on Abortion. By Stephen Bunjo. Reviewed by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas. (skip to review) Your Faith Has Saved You: Homilies for Liturgical Year A, […]
In Memoriam: Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ
Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., editor emeritus of Homiletic & Pastoral Review, died on August 6, 2026. He assumed leadership of HPR in 1971 and held his position for almost forty years, in addition to many other apostolates in media and teaching. The Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the repose of Fr. Baker’s soul […]
Recent & Upcoming Homilies
Homilies for September 2026
For September 6, September 13, September 14 (Exaltation of the Cross), September 15 (Our Lady of … more...
Homilies for August 2026
For August 2, August 9, August 16, August 23, and August 30, as well as the Solemnity of the … more...
From the Editor
The American Proposition, Religious Liberty, and the Catholic Imagination
Few subjects have generated more misunderstanding among Catholics than … more...
Rebuilding the Church, Within the Church
I begin with an admission that may surprise some readers. When I was … more...
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