The Word Proclaimed Institute (WPI) is a Catholic institute that owes its existence and inspiration to Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation, Verbum Domini. It is dedicated to the New Evangelization by serving the clergy to “be in close and constant contact with the sacred text”, as authentically taught by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, so that they can preach the Word of God with “conviction and passion” (Verbum Domini, 59). We understand that “those who have the office of teaching by virtue of sacred ordination or have been entrusted with exercising that ministry, namely, bishops, priests and deacons, [have the duty to] ‘expound the word of God (Verbum Domini, 59).’” Through various media, conferences, and direct ministry, WPI provides resources for engaging the clergy's intellects and hearts to enable them to become more effective instruments of the Lord Jesus in proclaiming His Word.

Part two of Verbum Domini called Verbum in Ecclesia (sections 52-56) depict a remarkable description of the traditional ontology of the real presence of the Word at the Liturgy:

“Saint Jerome speaks of the way we ought to approach both the Eucharist and the word of God: ‘We are reading the sacred Scriptures. For me, the Gospel is the Body of Christ; for me, the holy Scriptures are his teaching. And when he says: whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my blood (Jn 6:53), even though these words can also be understood of the [Eucharistic] Mystery, Christ’s body and blood are really the word of Scripture, God’s teaching. When we approach the [Eucharistic] Mystery, if a crumb falls to the ground we are troubled. Yet when we are listening to the word of God, and God’s Word and Christ’s flesh and blood are being poured into our ears yet we pay no heed, what great peril should we not feel?’ Christ, truly present under the species of bread and wine, is analogously present in the word proclaimed in the liturgy.” (Verbum Domini, 56).

This section, redolent of patristic and monastic experience of the power and beauty of the Word, helps the clergy to recover an obscured dimension of the Church’s life. The goal, therefore, of The Word Proclaimed Institute is to provide encouragement to all who are called to preach. When someone experiences the power of the Word that person has the joy of knowing personally what Pope Benedict refers to as the analogy between the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and his presence in the preached Word. The clergy are encouraged to recover personally this reality for themselves and for the people they serve.