For eight Saturdays that began in January and concluded in May, a group of pastoral associates, parish life directors and pastoral associate candidates met with Father Steve Thoma at St. John Seminary, Camarillo, for a preaching class designed to assist those in these relatively new positions in the church.

It was only the second time that this class was offered through the archdiocesan Office of Parish Life, but it spoke to the need to properly form and prepare those who will assume new leadership roles. Beyond the mechanics of preaching, the class stressed the responsibility and honor that is part of this ministry, said Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Carol Quinlivan, Parish Life Office director.

Father Thoma, originally from St. Louis, "is a very gifted priest who offered his knowledge and expertise to help all of us gain experience in our preaching," said Sister Quinlivan. "Some of us, myself included, have never been asked to preach. When I served as a parish DRE, I was always in front of a group 'teaching' the adults and children - but to preach the Word of God to them is much, much different."

Class members discovered in this certification course that, because they needed to sit with the Scripture and let it fill their hearts, their prayer lives were enhanced. Noted Sister Quinlivan: "As Father Steve said, 'Our preaching oozes with our spirituality.' I couldn't just read the passages one time and sit down and write a six-minute reflection. It took time to be with the Word. Through this experience my gift of writing, thought to be only for me, was enhanced for the benefit of others. I am looking forward to Level II."

In one recent class on preaching at Christian funerals, Father Thoma outlined for the group the "do's." At the top of his list: "Be yourself - be the preacher the Lord calls you to be!" He talked about the difficulty faced by anyone delivering a homily or Scriptural reflection: the importance of being simple, clear, honest and hopeful.

And he cautioned that a homily or reflection (ordinarily, a homily may be delivered only by a priest or deacon at a Eucharistic celebration; laypeople may offer reflections) is to be based on the Scriptures. It is not a eulogy, but a time to give those who grieve consolation and hope. "Don't bury someone that is not in the coffin," he reminded his students.

"If we believe that God works in each of our parishes, then God equally works in families and individually with each person," he continued, adding that cultural and family traditions may be incorporated to the degree possible and appropriate.

Most of all, these are pastoral moments, emphasized Father Thoma, and mourners should not be rushed. "Your overly busy schedule is really not all that important," he said. "The people come before you do."

Pastoral associate candidate Fe Musgrave, director of liturgy at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Rowland Heights, has, like Sister Quinlivan, taught religious education classes --- very different, she admits, from preaching. "You have to know the parish," she says. At funerals, "you have to know those who are in the pews," since they are not always members of the parish, or Catholic.

Mary Lou McGee, pastoral associate at Our Lady of Malibu Church, Malibu, found the class very helpful and a benefit in her other parish responsibilities. "It has given me a better understanding of what preaching today looks like in the church," she said. "I think we've begun to focus more fully on preaching and the importance of the Word today - making it meaningful and alive."