Searching for sermons/homilies preached on special occasions
In this thread, I'm looking for advice, pointers, search examples, etc., for finding (in Verbum/Logos) sermons, homilies, reflections, or whatever other instances of preaching have occurred on special occasions that are not simply liturgical dates.
So rather than search help for finding texts preached at Christmas, on Good Friday, for Corpus Christi, etc., or simply ones that are on topics such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, religious profession, etc., I'm looking for advice on finding texts in Verbum/Logos that were preached on the occasion of baptisms, confirmations, first communions, church dedications, religious professions, funerals, wakes, penitential services, consecrations of altars, preached retreats, burials, blessings of church bells or other extra-special items, ordinations and anniversaries thereof, weddings and wedding anniversaries, installations of bishops or pastors, etc. All of these are special occasions that could, in principle, occur or be celebrated on at least most days of the calendar or liturgical year.
Both assistance in general and assistance with regard to specific types of special events are much appreciated.
I personally am most interested in special occasions that occur within the Catholic Church (even if the preaching was done by a non-Catholic preacher), but search advice/suggestions/pointers specific to special occasions that exclusively occur (or are thought to exclusively occur) in other churches or ecclesial communities are also very welcome.
Recommendations of Verbum/Logos resources, especially Catholic ones, containing a large number of (or consisting entirely of) sermons/homilies preached on special occasions such as those noted above and that possess very helpful tables of contents for easily finding what one might be looking for are also appreciated. Relevant Pre-Pubs and Community Pricing resources can also be noted, but Live resources are ideal. Logos Research/Reader Editions are preferred to Faithlife Ebooks.
Thank you in advance to everyone who, having patiently read through all of the above, offers assistance in this matter.
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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In this thread, I'm looking for advice, pointers, search examples, etc., for finding (in Verbum/Logos) sermons, homilies, reflections, or whatever other instances of preaching have occurred on special occasions that are not simply liturgical dates.
I can't vouch for how many are Catholic but you might try searching subject:sermons in the Library of Early American History series. I have discovered over 1300 on funerals, executions, ordinations, artillery, holidays, and more.
Too soon old. Too late smart.
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So rather than search help for finding texts preached at Christmas, on Good Friday, for Corpus Christi, etc., or simply ones that are on topics such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, religious profession, etc., I'm looking for advice on finding texts in Verbum/Logos that were preached on the occasion of baptisms, confirmations, first communions, church dedications, religious professions, funerals, wakes, penitential services, consecrations of altars, preached retreats, burials, blessings of church bells or other extra-special items, ordinations and anniversaries thereof, weddings and wedding anniversaries, installations of bishops or pastors, etc. All of these are special occasions that could, in principle, occur or be celebrated on at least most days of the calendar or liturgical year.
Initial search idea was in a dynamic collection of homilies, sermons for words within:
that found 182,634 results in 62,620 articles (way too many) so refined search to look for words in Homily/Sermon message/title:
Personal quirk is liking search terms in alphabetical order (along with verifying that term found some homilies/sermons). Search term (installation NEAR (bishop OR deacon OR pastor OR priest)) could be simplified to installation. Changed phrase "first communion" into (first NEAR communion). Changed phrase "church bells" into (church NEAR bells). Changed "religious profession" into (religious NEAR profession). Added commencement and graduation terms:
Search results of 2,476 articles now includes many homilies/sermons for special occasions (and some chapters about homily/sermon preparation)
Keep Smiling [:)]
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I'll try to play around when I get home from work, but using the web app and a simple everything search for "special occasion sermon" returned a fare number hits.
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I can't vouch for how many are Catholic but you might try searching subject:sermons in the Library of Early American History series. I have discovered over 1300 on funerals, executions, ordinations, artillery, holidays, and more.
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don't have that series.
Initial search idea was in a dynamic collection of homilies, sermons for words within:
[...]
Thank you! That's very useful.
I also tried it with a dynamic collection of type:sermons, which eliminates a lot of spurious hits, especially in the Ancient Christian Commentary Series (ACCS) on the terms "wedding" and "baptism" (likely at the cost of some good hits) and removed the term "catechism", which found its way in to this list but was absent in your first one.
I'll try to play around when I get home from work, but using the web app and a simple everything search for "special occasion sermon" returned a fare number hits.
Thank you. Trying that exact search term got me plenty of hits, but I didn't see any relevant ones.
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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Another search that produces a somewhat different result is "special event NEAR (sermon OR preach)".
Admittedly I am not a wiz at formatting a search query, so there is likely a much better way to do this but tis might give you a few hits that will fit your criteria.
One such example from the hits list is...
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Preaching, Special Occasion
To preach on special occasions is to utter a word which illuminates an event and transforms it into an experience. It is to weave a tapestry of words that bids the eye to focus and rejoice in what it beholds. Preaching on special occasions enables a gathered group to become a community which can proceed into the heart of the mystery being celebrated, whether that mystery is a celebration of ritual feast, or festive event.
The special occasion preaching considered here takes into account: (1) preaching which occurs within liturgical settings other than Sunday and weekday eucharists in ordinary time (e.g., baptisms, weddings, funerals, penance and anointing services); (2) preaching which takes place on feasts, whether christological, Marian, or sanctoral; (3) preaching which occurs at the celebration of special events such as religious professions, anniversaries of weddings and ordinations, gatherings for special groups with a particular focus. Some comments will now be offered on each of these three areas.
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Preaching at Special Events
Special occasions like anniversaries of marriage, religious profession, and ordination can become opportunities for sharing humorous anecdotes about those involved or premature eulogies. Such events can more fittingly be occasions to celebrate how the divine has interpenetrated the human in the course of a long period. Time is recognized as sacred time. Such moments provide an invitation to contemplate how such periods of fidelity help the community to know itself and what it is called to. To be a homily, the preaching must use the biblical text(s) to provide a lens through which such occasions are interpreted.
Finally, preaching at gatherings for special groups with a particular focus is also an occasion to allow the work of the group to be biblically grounded and celebrated in the act of eucharistic thanksgiving. The preacher can take advantage of the occasion to select those biblical passages that call the group to rededicate themselves in a spirit of confidence and hope, trusting in the God who has called them to this work.
See also Catechesis, liturgical; Christ, feasts of; Funerals, preaching at; Mary, feasts of; Preaching the lectionary
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Bibliography: Bishops’ Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry/NCCB, Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly (Washington: USCC, 1982). James M. Schmitmeyer, The Words of Worship: Presiding and Preaching at the Rites (New York: Alba, 1988). James A. Wallace, c.ss.r., Preaching Through the Saints (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1982).
James A. Wallace, c.ss.r.
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"special NEAR (sermon OR preach)" produced several thousand results for me.
Just glancing through a few of them produced this interesting hit....
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INTRODUCING THE AMERICAN JEREMIAD
I want to introduce you to the American jeremiad. That’s the term scholars have given to what one has called “a mainstream and deeply American way of thinking about the nation’s past, present, and future.”1 The term comes from the prophet Jeremiah, who catalogued Israel’s fall from fidelity and warned of the horrible judgments to come.
The jeremiad is a rhetorical tradition—a literary genre, even—that has appeared in every phase of America’s history—from King Philips War to Hurricane Katrina.2 But the place to begin is Puritan New England. That’s where the jeremiad got its American stamp, where it was most commonly applied and most fully developed.
Most Puritan jeremiads were preached not during regular corporate worship but on special occasions appointed by the government. There were sermons delivered on election days. There were artillery sermons on days set for review of the colonial militia. There were thanksgiving sermons on days celebrating great blessings. But the jeremiad was most at home on days of colony-wide fasting in response to some crisis.
We think of Puritan New England as a society where Christian ethics and civil government were thoroughly intertwined. It’s tough to imagine a society where religion had greater influence. But to her Puritan pastors, just a generation or two removed from the founding, New England was a world of decay and fearful decline.
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McCullough, Matt. “The American Jeremiad: A Bit of Perspective on the Rhetoric of Decline.” 9Marks Journal (2014).
I understand this is most likely too wide of a search net but it may provide the results that you want.
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