​After B-list careers in their primary professions, these men have found their callings in the earbuds of the young.

Good preaching requires mastery of rhetoric, particularly the tools of repetition and organization, says John Baldovin, S.J. But also, he adds with hyperbolic emphasis, “you have to read, read, read, read, read and pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.”

“The idea of a preacher who sings as a part of their homily is part of many African American cultural traditions,” explains Kim Harris. “The songs carry so many of our stories, hopes, and beliefs, and what we’re thinking about and believing and preaching about.”

Ed Foley, O.F.M. Cap., discusses how, when preparing one of his homilies, he meticulously annotates his manuscript, like a conductor’s score. “Where’s the crescendo? Where’s the pause? When do the trumpets come in?”

The Vatican announced the creation of 10 study groups to focus on themes that arose at last October’s Synod on Synodality, an announcement that prompted mixed reactions: Are the groups “kicking the can down the road” or opening a “new horizon”?

When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, “everything becomes more authentic,” and “God ceases to be just a concept,” says Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J. “He really becomes a source of life and all hope for you and for those who are around you.”