The Preaching of Pope Francis: Missionary Discipleship and the Ministry of the Word

by Gregory Heille

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has encouraged, inspired, and delighted those who have heard him preach. Especially fascinating have been his plain-spoken and insightful weekday morning Mass homilies. He has also offered the church a substantial contribution on the theory and practice of homiletics in a large section of his first major teaching document, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). In The Preaching of Pope Francis, Gregory Heille, OP, introduces readers to the Pope’s preaching, his insights about the preaching vocation of the ordained, and his call to all the baptized to go to the margins as missionary disciples and evangelists of the Word. Heille, a highly regarded professor of homiletics and preacher himself, offers an inspiring and practical resource for priests, deacons, and anyone involved in the ministry of preaching. He shares the Pope’s vision and example for the preparation and delivery of effective and engaging homilies and for laity invested in the Church’s ministry of the Word in a post-Vatican II pastoral context.

97 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2015

Reviews

[Ian Bordenave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Father Greg Heille, O.P., is my thesis advisor for the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in Saint Louis. Heille is an admirer of Pope Francis and his preaching. That comes out clearly in The Preaching of Pope Francis: Missionary Discipleship and the Ministry of the Word. What also comes out clearly in the book is Heille’s reiteration of Pope Francis’s call to all baptized Christians to become missionary disciples. What runs short in the book is Heille’s own thoughts. While he quotes amply from Pope Francis’s homilies, his reflections on those quotes seem to run shorter than the quotes themselves. The best chapter is Chapter 5, in which Heille presents his autobiography. There you get to know Heille’s passion for preaching, which I as a fellow preacher appreciate.

[Margaret R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book. I will read it again. Greg was our priest at St. Giles Family Mass which he refers to a bit. The word of Pope Francis are delightful.