The Preaching as Hospitality Formation Program prepares seminarians, diaconal students, and graduate theology students to become compelling preachers who reflect Christ’s hospitality in their ministry. Rooted in the idea that preaching is an act of hospitality, the program empowers participants to grow in confidence while embodying the spirit of Christian hospitality.
Launched in 2023 with a grant from the Lilly Endowment, the program is directed by Father Dominic Ciriaco, D.Min., as a preaching pilgrimage, where fellow preachers become traveling companions who share their knowledge and experiences in their ministries.
Through workshops, courses, preaching clinics, and public events—including the Wisdom Figures of Preaching video series, the Many Faces of Hospitality evenings of recollection, and the annual University Parish Mission—the program supports both emerging and newly ordained clergy as they deepen their understanding of Scripture and enhance their preaching skills. It also offers seasonal reflections and specialized courses that integrate Scripture, theology, and pastoral practice to strengthen preaching as a ministry of invitation and grace.
Meet the inspiring individuals who exemplify hospitality in preaching throughout history.
Priests and deacons, ordained thirty years ago or more, offer their insights on the hospitality of preaching.
Father Dominic Ciriaco, D.Min., reflects on Lectio Divina and how the Preaching as Hospitality Program used it to identify hospitable messages in the Scriptures. Lectio divina, or “holy reading,” is an ancient practice from the Christian tradition, encouraging us to have a slow, quiet and thoughtful encounter with Scripture. Read more about Lecto Divina.
During the Advent and Lent, ICSST shares meditations and prayers that, with God’s grace, will help us enter into these hold seasons in prayerful ways.
Last month, 52 men were accepted as candidates for the permanent diaconate at a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark.
Seton Hall University's $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will help the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST) establish a Preaching as Hospitality formation program.
ICSST's Preaching as Hospitality Formation Program and Dr. Gregory Glazov hosted a day of reflection exploring God's hospitality in Luke's Gospel.
