Faculty Bio: Rev. Dr. Catherine E. Williams

Rev. Dr. Catherine E. Williams is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship, and Director of Chapel Worship at Moravian University School of Theology, based on the Lancaster campus. Her educational background is a blend of music – with formal training in piano and voice – and theology – with over thirty years of preaching experience. Born in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Williams’ research interests explore the synergy between preaching and music in liturgical contexts. She is also passionate about making room around the homiletical table for underrepresented voices and minoritized perspectives. Dr. Williams has been a music educator for more than 40 years and a theological educator since 2007. She is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church.

Degrees and Institutions:

• PhD in Homiletics, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2017
• MDiv, Palmer Theological Seminary, 2010
• BMus in Church Music, Westminster Choir College, 1990

Publications and Works:

• Preaching and Music: Powerful Partners in Proclamation. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2025.
• “Proclamation: In Many and Various Ways.” Theology Today 79, no. 1 (March 2022).
• “Sermon and Song: A Musically Integrative Homiletic.” Yale Journal of Music and Religion 7, no. 2 (December 2021): Article 4, 82-97.
• “Trinidad & Tobago Preaching: The Gospel According to Calypso.” In The Future Shape of Christian Proclamation: What the Global South Can Teach Us About Preaching, edited by Cleophus LaRue & Luis Nascimento. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020: 116-135.