Deacon's Ministry of the Word

Jay Cormier, DMin, is adjunct professor of homiletics at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, and lecturer in humanities and communications at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. He facilitates workshops and seminars around the country in homiletics, liturgy, and communications. He serves as deacon at Saint Jude Parish in Londonderry, New Hampshire. He is the author of several books, including The Deacon’s Ministry of the Word; Lord, Hear Our Prayer: The Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses;The Season of Light: Daily Prayer for the Lighting of the Advent Wreath; and previous editions of Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas and Not by Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent, published by Liturgical Press. He is a contributor to Give Us This Day.

• ContentsPreface   ixChapter 1   Morning Drive   1Chapter 2   The Sunday “Conversation”   17Chapter 3   Four Questions   29Chapter 4   One   43 Chapter 5   Preaching Visually   58Chapter 6   Putting It Together   73Chapter 7   You, the Proclaimer   88Chapter 8   You, the Minister 106Notes   113

Deacon Cormier has done a commendable job of providing deacons and other preachers with a fine introduction to the ministry of the Word. He avoids simplistic remedies and instead employs solid rhetorical and communication theory in a meaningful and thoroughly accessible fashion, wisely using both sacred and secular sources and examples. Any preacher, novice or veteran, would benefit from attention to Cormier's analyses, suggestions, and exercises. I know I have.Dr. Richard Stern, Professor of Homiletics, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology