How to write a homily — or a bulletin announcement

Time magazine lauds Alice Munro’s newest collection of short stories, The View from Castle Rock (Knopf) as a master class in the craft. In the review of the book, Pico Iyer draws out ten writing principles, many of which can be adapted to writing homilies, letters to parents, parish policies, and bulletin announcements. My favorite is:

2) Don't eschew the plain. In one typical exchange here, 38 spoken words out of 39 are just one syllable long (the exception is "cannot"). In a later story, 37 straight words last one syllable each.

Read more here.

Good communications

Every parish should have a pastoral plan for public relations, according to Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Here is an excpert from an address he gave at a meeting of new bishops Sept. 23.

By the way, even local parishes can engage in effective public relations. For example, when there is a first Communion or a confirmation or a graduation, the local parish can send a press release to the local or community newspaper indicating the five "w's" -- the who, what, when, where and why of the event, including the names of all those involved in the event, because very local newspapers love to print names, because those whose names are mentioned or their families will buy and keep that issue of the paper.

Also, at the end of the five "w's" there can be an explanation of what first Communion or confirmation is -- in that way, providing a type of evangelization or religious instruction regarding the sacraments. The newspaper will not always publish the explanation, but they will sometimes -- and that means we have obtained free access to a means of religious instruction and evangelization.

Read the entire address here.

Categories:

• TodaysParishMinister
• communication

Finding your voice

There is a great post on the D*I*Y* Planner site about The Authentic Voice. It applies to journalling and writing, but the advice is excellent for homilists and preachers to consider as well. Note these four guidelines from the article:

1. Cater your writing style to match the intended audience. You wouldn't speak to your boss and your mother the same way, would you? Changing what words you choose to use in your writing, whether personal or creative can help you uncover and develop your writing voice by matching it to the audience.
2. Practice what you speak. Try writing as if you were talking to someone else. How would that sound on paper? Try speaking to another person as if you were happy, sad or mad at them and see how different the passages are.
3. Write as if you were the character. Sometimes helping to develop an authentic voice means writing as if you were that person. Step into your character's shoes. What words do they prefer using? Speaking as if you were that character teaches you how to use voice as if you were that character and in doing so, it helps you uncover the nuances that make your own voice special.
4. Try and examine the topic you're writing about from multiple perspectives and share the reason you feel the way you do. Sometimes when you explain the other side, you're able to view and relate to your own musings more truthfully.

Categories:

• TodaysParishMinister
• preaching