St. Jerome Center
Welcome to the St. Jerome Center for Preaching and Biblical Studies!
Our mission in to help priests, deacons and laity transform their love and knowledge of Sacred Scriptures into inspirational, didactic and effective preaching, leadership and evangelization.
About the St. Jerome Center
The St. Jerome Center is forming clergy to become more effective preachers who lead people to conversion and holiness. Through training programs, individual instruction, and preaching resources, clergy learn to connect scripture to people’s lives in engaging and inspiring ways. The goal is to help preachers lead their congregations to become missionary disciples who live and share the Gospel.
The St. Jerome Center is also sponsoring Bible Studies at diocesan parishes. Each week, parishioners at participating parishes will study the upcoming Sunday readings. By praying with and reflecting on the readings before mass, people will develop a better understanding of scripture and its application to their daily lives. The ultimate goal is to help people become more engaged during the Liturgy of the Word at Mass.
Our Programs
Preaching Intensive for Priests
The Preaching Intensive for Priests is a week-long course in Rome that helps priests improve their homilies, content, structure, and engagement. The course is taught by the Dominicans from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
During the morning sessions, participants study some of the great preachers in the Roman Catholic tradition. Participants will tour Rome each afternoon and visit a site related to the morning session Each priest will preach at least once during the week at Mass or Vespers and receive structured feedback from the instructor and their peers.
Certificate in Preaching for Deacons
The Certificate in Preaching for Deacons is a five-month program consisting of five foundational courses: Foundations in Preaching, Liturgy and Preaching, Scripture and Exegesis, Pastoral Sensitivity, Personal Integration and Spirituality
The program is taught by the Aquinas Institute of Theology in the Dominican preaching tradition. Participants will preach and receive formal feedback during each course. Those deacons who successfully complete all 5 courses will receive a certificate in preaching.
Language Enhancement Training Program
The Language Enhancing Training Program, designed by Accent Accurate, is designed to assist non-native, English-speaking clerics in refining their speech for more effective communication. This comprehensive training program consists of 14 weeks of personalized, one-on-one coaching sessions focused on pronunciation, intonation, and clarity. Each participant will undergo an initial evaluation with an expert language coach to tailor the program to their specific needs. At the completion of the program, clerics will be able to communicate more clearly and effectively with their parishioners.
St. Jerome Bible Study Program
The St. Jerome Bible Study Program is a weekly parish-based Bible study focused on the upcoming Sunday readings. By studying the Mass readings, participants will have a deeper level of engagement during the Liturgy of the Word and will be able to make Scripture more relevant in their lives.
The St. Jerome Bible Study program is offered in partnership with the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Participants will use resources from the St. Paul Center to interpret the Sunday readings within our Roman Catholic tradition.
Our Patron
"Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ!"
St. Jerome (ca. 340 – 420) was a Christian priest, Doctor of the Church, historian, translator, theologian and confessor. He is especially known for his translations of the Bible into Latin and Hebrew, as well as his teachings on Christian morality and life.
St. Jerome’s feast day is celebrated September 30. He is the patron not only of this Center, but also of archeologists, archivists, Bible scholars, librarians, students, and translators.
Our patron’s dedication to preaching and instructing how to live a moral Christian life, helps inspire us to hone our preaching skills into a sentiment that can reach the faithful.