Catholic Coalition on Preaching
ABOUT CCOP
About Home Mission/Goals Leadership CCOP History

History of CCOP

 

by
Rev. Francis S. Tebbe, OFM
President, CCOP

The Catholic Coalition on Preaching (CCOP) has its origins in the 1989-1990 Think Tank meetings hosted by Rev. John Burke, O.P., in Washington, D.C. Ten national organizations were invited to discuss ways to improve the quality of Catholic preaching.

These organizations met three times during 1989-1990 and decided to form a loosely-structured Catholic Coalition on Preaching. Identifying the responsibilities of the member organizations and deciding to shape itself around the project of fashioning a biennial national conference on Catholic preaching, Rev. Eugene F. Lauer was appointed Chair of a Steering Committee. National preaching conferences were designed and implemented in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2002, and 2004.

The Presidents and CEOs of the Catholic Coalition on Preaching met in Chicago in November 1996 to explore future directions for the Coalition, determining that its mission and goals needed to be broadened. They restructured CCOP in order to make it better able to carry out new priorities and to give the CCOP greater stability. A Governing Board (the Presidents and CEOs of member organizations and two Bishops) and an Executive Committee were constituted.

At this meeting, Rev. Francis S. Tebbe, O.F.M., was elected as the first President and Chair of the CCOP Governing Board. Affirmed as Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively, were Sr. Elizabeth Ann Shaefer, O.P., Rev. Charles E. Bouchard, O.P., and Rev. Eugene F. Lauer.

The newly constituted CCOP Governing Board approved a mission statement, the seven goals, and the membership levels in February 1997. Sr. Mary Jean Traeger, O.P., became Vice President in September 1997, followed by Sr. Mary Ellen O'Grady, O.P., in 2004. Rev. Joseph J. Juknialis became Secretary in 2003, and Rev. Donald Heet, O.S.F.S., became Treasurer in 2004.

In 1999, a Strategic Colloquium on the Future of Catholic Preaching was held in San Antonio. In 2001, a Colloquium on the Nature of the Homily and Liturgical Preaching was held in St. Louis.

Bishop George J. Lucas served as the CCOP-Liaison with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry from 2001-2004.

In December 2004, the Governing Board met, and with minor revisions, reaffirmed the mission and goals of CCOP and articulated the values of the Coalition.