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Five Sunday homilies are heard from the Gospel proclamation through the homily's conclusion—not judged from an isolated clip.
The Preacher Show
Homilies Worth Hearing
Our mission
To find homilies worth hearing.
Throughout the liturgical year, The Preacher Show listens to homilies from parishes across the Diocese of Trenton.
Each week, five homilies are reviewed and two are recognized for the qualities that make Catholic preaching faithful, memorable, and genuinely useful beyond the pews.
As the season develops, the goal is to invite finalists to preach on a selected theme from Catholic teaching and ultimately appear before a live audience, helping crown the recipient of The Preacher Award for the Diocese of Trenton.
It all begins with one question:
Which homilies are truly worth hearing?
Our inspiration
How We Got Our Name
Inspired by Blessed Fulton J. Sheen
The Preacher Show has a simple mission: to find and recognize homilies worth hearing.
Its name was inspired by Blessed Fulton J. Sheen and his understanding of what Catholic preaching is meant to be.
Sheen rejected the idea that people were simply no longer interested in preaching:
“It is vain to say that people are staying away from churches because they do not like our preaching.”
For Sheen, the answer was not to make preaching easier, safer, or merely more clever. The preacher's first responsibility was much more fundamental:
“I am begging you also to develop the art of being a preacher.”
He continued:
“And the art of being a preacher requires, first of all, that we begin to preach to the world Christ and Him crucified.”
Sheen illustrated the point through St. Paul's experience in Athens. Paul addressed the learned philosophers in terms familiar to them, speaking of God as Creator and Providence. But in Sheen's telling, Paul failed to proclaim Christ and the Cross. Sheen's assessment was characteristically direct:
“The sermon was a failure.”
For Sheen, then, great preaching was about more than delivering a polished sermon. He expressed the idea powerfully in The Priest Is Not His Own:
“Preaching is not the act of giving a sermon; it is the art of making a preacher. The preacher then becomes the sermon.”
— Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, The Priest Is Not His Own
The name
That is how The Preacher Show got its name.
Sheen wasn't simply calling for better sermons. He was calling for the art of being a preacher—one whose faith, preparation, conviction, and love of Christ are reflected in the words he preaches.
That challenge inspired our name and continues to inspire our mission: to find and recognize homilies worth hearing.
Sources: Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, The Art of Preaching; The Priest Is Not His Own.
How it works
A respectful search for preaching that deserves a wider audience.
Apply one standard
Every homily is considered against the same six marks, with particular weight placed on theological soundness and practical application.
Recognize excellence
Two weekly distinctions honor homilies that stand out for faithful proclamation, relevance, clarity, pastoral usefulness, and delivery.
Build toward the finale
Outstanding preachers may be invited to address a selected Catholic theme before an audience as the show grows toward its live format.
The six marks
What makes a homily worth hearing?
No homily must be flawless in every dimension. The purpose is to identify real strengths and explain why the message deserves attention.
Scripture Adherence
How closely the message remains grounded in the Sunday readings and draws its central meaning from the Word proclaimed.
Relevance to Today
Whether the homily connects Scripture to the season, the culture, and the ordinary weight of a listener's actual week.
Clarity & Structure
Whether the message has a coherent arc that listeners can follow, remember, and carry away.
Theological Soundness
Fidelity to authentic Catholic teaching, expressed with the care and precision appropriate to the pulpit.
Practical Application
Whether listeners are given something concrete to practice, change, consider, or carry into the week ahead.
Delivery & Engagement
The human element—warmth, storytelling, presence, pacing, and the ability to hold attention in the church and on video.
Evaluation with humility
The show evaluates the public words and effectiveness of a homily—not a priest's intentions, holiness, vocation, or overall ministry. Significant theological concerns should be approached carefully, supported specifically, and reviewed when appropriate. Good-faith corrections are welcome.
Weekly recognition
Two honors. Two distinct strengths.
Weekly distinction
Apostles' Choice
Recognizing a homily whose proclamation, clarity, conviction, and practical force make it especially worthy of being shared.
Weekly distinction
Our Lady's Rose Award
Honoring a homily marked by pastoral tenderness, spiritual beauty, hope, and an invitation that draws the listener closer to Christ.
Season in development
The weekly award archive is now live.
Follow the season week by week, see the recognized homilies, watch each scorecard, and return as new winners are added.
Created and hosted by
Hugh Connelly
The Preacher Show is an independent editorial project built around one belief: excellent preaching should be found, celebrated, and shared.
Hugh listens as a serious lay audience member, applies a published framework consistently, and explains each assessment with respect for the priest, the parish, and the Church's teaching.
“The goal is not to tear homilies apart. It is to find the ones people should not miss.”
Questions & accountability
Disagreement is part of serious criticism.
Can viewers disagree with a score or review?
Absolutely. Ratings are editorial judgments, not declarations from Church authority. Specific, good-faith disagreement is welcomed—especially when it identifies the exact statement, score, or theological point at issue.
How are theological concerns handled?
The show focuses on the public words of the homily and compares them with established Catholic teaching. Serious concerns should be stated precisely, not sensationally, and may be reviewed with qualified advisers before publication.
Will the show correct an error?
Yes. Factual mistakes, misquotations, or unfair theological characterizations will be reviewed. When a correction is warranted, the record should be updated clearly and without defensiveness.
Is the show judging the priest personally?
No. The subject is a particular public homily. A review is not a judgment about the priest's character, intentions, holiness, vocation, canonical standing, or the totality of his ministry.
Contact the show
Share a homily, raise a concern, or join the launch.
Priests, parishes, viewers, media representatives, and potential advisers are welcome to get in touch. For a correction request, please identify the episode, timestamp, and specific statement involved.
Submissions are reviewed, but a message does not guarantee that a homily will be featured or that an editorial assessment will be changed.