Preach: The Catholic Homilies Podcast

“Jesus doesn't put burdens on us,” says Jean-Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M. “Jesus invites us into a relationship where we are graced and blessed by God.” Continuing our series on Preaching for Missionary Discipleship, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. welcomes Jean-Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M., Minister Provincial of the Holy Spirit Province, Canada. He makes the case for homilies that center the relationship Jesu...

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, preachers face a sacred responsibility– to proclaim the Gospel and heed the signs of the times, without getting lost in political ideologies. When Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore was asked to preach at a Mass consecrating the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he did just that.  He joins “Preach” host Ricar...

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, Flavio Bravo, S.J., celebrates Mass in migrant shelters among people living in fear and uncertainty. Reflecting on John’s resurrection appearances in which Christ shows his wounds and breathes his Spirit, Flavio preaches the risen Christ, not as an idea, but as a presence encountered in woundedness. Flavio joins host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., to speak about preaching re...

How does one keep their belief in the resurrection in a war-scarred area of the world? In this third episode of Preach’s Easter series, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks to Brother Peter Iorlano, F.S.C., who has lived and ministered at Bethlehem University in the West Bank for over 20 years, accompanying Palestinian students and colleagues through occupation, conflict and loss. He is also the un...

“You see the light in people's eyes come back and you see faces start to move instead of being frozen," says Tom Weston, S.J.,  speaking about his experience ministering to people in addiction recovery. “The humanity is reborn [...] it's resurrection.”  In this episode we continue our Easter series on preaching the hope of the resurrection in a broken world. Our guest Tom Weston, S.J., is a Jesuit...

What does it mean to preach resurrection into a broken world? In this first episode of our 2026 Easter series, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., welcomes Alberto Solano, a New Testament scholar at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. Together, they open up the post-resurrection appearances in John’s Gospel—Mary in the garden, Thomas in the upper room, Peter b...

What is fasting for? What biblical precedent do we have for the practices of fasting and abstinence? And how can preachers steer between the two extremes of self-punishment and loophole hunting? “Preach” concludes its Lent 2026 series on the three classical pillars of the season with a conversation on fasting.  Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J. is joined by James Keane — senior editor at America and a w...

What is almsgiving — and why does the Church teach that it is more about justice and right relationship than simply personal charity or philanthropy? As “Preach” continues its Lent 2026 series on the three classical pillars of the season—prayer, fasting and almsgiving—we turn to almsgiving, perhaps the most confronting of the three. In this conversation, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. is joined by Kerry R...

What is prayer? And maybe more importantly for preachers—what are we inviting people into when we stand in the pulpit and speak about it? As “Preach” continues its Lent 2026 series, we turn to the three classical pillars that shape the season: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In this first conversation, focused on prayer, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. is joined by Amy Ekeh, Director of Mission Advancement...

As “Preach” begins its Lent 2026 series, Ricardo da Silva, S.J. sits down with liturgical theologian Anne McGowan to ask a foundational question: what is Lent for — and how do these practices reshape our faith, not just our habits for six weeks? Together, they trace its history from a two-day fast in the early Church to the 40-day season we know today, and explore its theological arc in the Sunday...

“Things are happening [in Minnesota]  that my friends and family elsewhere are really having trouble understanding,” Laura Kelly Fanucci says,  “because the media is saying one thing, and all these partisan politicians are saying another thing.” “But sometimes I think what Jesus [is saying in the gospel], is that when you are close to the center, sometimes you will know things about the mystery of...

Every year we take out the nativity. We arrange it carefully. Mary. Joseph. A baby in a manger. It feels sacred—one of the last spaces in our world left untouched. But contemporary retellings challenge that calm. This year in Dedham, the Holy Family was removed and kept in the sanctuary for protection from ICE. In Evanston, the baby Jesus wrapped in emergency thermal blankets, his hands bound with...

“I really appreciate it when the truth is spoken very plainly,” says Tsh Oxenreider. Homilies that cut to the chase—and call us to conversion now. Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with writer and podcaster Tsh Oxenreider about what active waiting means during Advent; sitting with discomfort, resisting the rush to Christmas. They explore the traditional meanings of the liturgical weeks—joy in we...

This week on Preach, we’re offering an Advent treat. Host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., sits down with fellow producer Maggi Van Dorn for a rare on-mic conversation about the spiritual power of Christmas carols. Drawing on their work as producers of another America podcast, “Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols,” they reflect on what these songs can teach preachers: that the liturgy is...

“I’m thinking about the end of time in another way,” says Ann Garrido. “Because end can mean the conclusion, the finish, but it can also mean the purpose.” For 25 years, Ann has taught homiletics, pastoral theology and catechetics at Aquinas Institute of Theology, written 10 books and spoken at more than 350 gatherings. A longtime catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd movement, Ann offe...

The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome—a feast about a building—can intimidate preachers. The temptation? Mention it briefly and move on to the readings. But Sylvester Tan, S.J. says this feast is worth the work of preaching well. In this episode of “Preach,” Sylvester, a Jesuit theologian and local superior in Dallas shares his homily for one of the few feasts that actually r...

Auxiliary Bishop Adam Parker of Baltimore has confirmed more than 10,000 young people—and he wants his brother bishops to know what a gift the sacrament can be. In this episode of “Preach,” he shares his confirmation homily built around Jesus’ question to Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” Then host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., asks him for a fervorino: If he were standing before his brother bishops, w...

“You are loved, warts and all.” Bishop Emeritus Patrick J. McGrath of San Jose said it at every confirmation—and liturgist Diana Macalintal never tired of hearing it. In this episode of “Preach,” she recalls a bishop’s confirmation homily that “quickly devolved into an exploration of sin and evil,” complete with exorcisms and damnation. Like composing music, this preacher “did not emphasize the ri...

The parable of the persistent widow. Again. Scholar, poet, and preacher Cameron Bellm has heard it a hundred times—so she turned to Russian literature for help. Drawing on Viktor Shklovsky’s ostranenie, the art of making the familiar strange, she reveals how to jolt ancient parables back to life. “It is the goal of art to make the stone stony again,” she says. She also urges preachers to learn fro...

“What does it mean to receive Jesus in Holy Communion? It’s like Jesus is giving us a big hug, saying, ‘I love you so much. I want you to be close to me always,’” says Russell Pollitt, S.J., pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Johannesburg and chaplain to Catholic elementary and middle schools, to the children preparing for their First Communion. Russell uses vivid, everyday examples—birthda...

“This isn’t just about the baby, this isn’t just about the parents and godparents. This is about all of us and it is about our faith.” This is the realization that came to Con O’Mahony, Vicar for Education in the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, and pastor at St. Margaret Mary Parish, while attending a Baptism at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Standing in a filled cathedral b...

 That question, quietly planted at the start of the rite, can be the seed the homily helps take root and flourish in the hearts of the faithful. In this episode of "Preach," Christina Mines and Ricardo da Silva, S.J., explore how preaching at baptisms offers a unique opportunity—and challenge—to engage millennial parents, practice radical hospitality, and invite families into the full life of the...

This week on Preach, we launch a new series: Preaching for the Sacraments—how homilists can bring depth and imagination to their preaching during some of the Catholic Church’s most meaningful rites. To set the stage, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., speaks with Anthony Ruff, O.S.B., Benedictine monk and professor of liturgy at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Minnesota. Together they un...

The third season of “Preach” begins with a fundamental reminder: What is preaching, and what is it for? To explore that question, host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., invites the Rev. Lynn Barger Elliott—a preacher who has inspired him to think about this question in recent months. As a fourth-generation Presbyterian pastor and consultant for the Compelling Preaching Initiative—the Lilly Endowment project...

Season two of “Preach” has wrapped. Before we pause until fall, please share what moved you this season, what you’d like more or less of, and any ideas for future episodes to shape next season's lineup. In this bonus episode, Ricardo and Maggi Van Dorn – his co-producer on “Preach” and producer of America Media’s newest podcast – introduce “The Spiritual Life with Father James Martin, S.J.” They d...