Deacons describe homily how-tos

Priests aren't the only ones who deliver homilies at Mass. Many deacons across the Albany Diocese prepare and present homilies each weekend, as well.

The Evangelist recently spoke with two of them about the content of those talks:

* Are deacons' homilies different from those of priests?

* Does family life affect the subject matter they choose?

* Do their wives, who share their ministry of service, help them prepare?

"I can't say that I prepare a homily the same way every time but I do have a routine that I follow," answered Deacon William Henkel, who has served at St. Francis de Sales parish in Herkimer for the past four years.

Prep time

"Everyone looks at his homily in a different way. I see it as part of my whole formation as a deacon. When I prepare a homily, I begin two or three weeks before I actually have to preach. The idea I start out with usually isn't what I end up with, either. I just go where I think the Spirit is leading me," he said.

Part of his preparation involves devoting "about an hour a day" to prayer, reading the Bible and reflecting on what he wants to say.

"I'm always looking ahead as far as the readings [used at liturgies] go, and I try to also look at what's coming up as we approach each weekend," he said. "When I work on a homily, I get the idea I want and keep it in my mind. You might say I let it 'cook' there for a while."

He rarely tries out the finished product on his wife, Kateri, although he said that they will often discuss a theme or idea he has chosen to use for a particular week: "I'd rather my wife hear the finished product when I preach it and then, later, give me her impressions. This works very well for us."

Conspiring

On the other hand, Deacon Martin Beckman and his wife, Sally, are collaborators when it comes to preparing his homilies. He noted that the couple have years of experience with Cursillo, Marriage Encounter and Pre-Cana programs.

Deacon Beckman, who celebrates his 25th anniversary in the diaconate this October, serves at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany and as a chaplain for St. Peter's Hospital. He said he preaches each weekend at one of the three scheduled masses at St. Vincent's and relies on his wife to help him in his preparation.

"I begin to think about the homily I'll preach the Sunday evening or Monday before I actually preach. That gives both Sally and me an entire week to go over whatever idea I want to use," he said.

Using a book that has the weekly Scripture readings in it, as well as spirituality and catechesis ideas, he looks for a word or phrase that jumps out at him and reflects on that for a day or two.

Keep it brief

"People want to get something out of a homily. I always try to keep my preaching time to between eight and ten minutes. I figure if you can't say what you want to say in that amount of time, it isn't going to happen," he noted with a laugh.

Once his idea has found form in his mind, he writes a rough draft.

"Sally has great critique skills, so she and I go over the draft. She'll ask me questions like, 'What is it you want to say here? What point do you want to make?' By the time I get to the finished product, we've gone over it about four times.

"I work and pray hard at it. I want the homily to be good; I want people to get something out of it and be able to apply it to their lives," he noted.

Once they have the homily finished, Deacon Beckman preaches it over and over until he has memorized it -- although he always has it in front of him at Mass, typed out in large print, so he can refer to it if he gets distracted and forgets what to say.

"I don't necessarily use my own personal experiences, or personal witness, unless I think that will help make my point. I always try to use some spontaneity, though, and I've found that this really helps people relate to what I'm speaking about," he said.

Family style

He noted that being a family man helps those he preaches to understand that he is just like them: "It isn't that I am any different from anyone else. It is a 'we' situation, not just a 'me' one."

Deacon Henkel said that making one point in his homilies is normal for him.

"I like to be cyclical. I start with a single thought or maybe a quote. It doesn't have to be from Scripture, but the content reflects the readings. This month, for example, I used the character Harry Potter to make my point," he noted, adding that his homilies always end with the thought he used at the beginning.

"The people you preach to expect you to say something they can hold onto when they leave the building. If you're not getting tuned in to what God is saying to you in your preparation time, then you won't be able to tell it to anyone else," he said.

Spirit at work

Both men said that prayer, contemplation and preparation are all equally important in the process.

"You cannot preach to hundreds of people and expect to deliver a meaningful homily without prayer in preparation. Asking the Holy Spirit to work through you is very, very important," said Deacon Beckman.

(Not all deacons can preach, only those that have passed a test during their diaconate formation. Deacon Henkel said that involves preparing and preaching about 30 homilies in three years: "Over time and with practice, each man develops his own style of preaching. I love to preach, but it has taken me years to learn how to do it.")

(8/2/07)