The Passion of Public Speaking: Father Joshua Wagner

Father Joshua Wagner has a passion for speaking to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Father Wagner’s love of public speaking has evolved through his relationships and experiences. Through his speaking, he tries to positively impact the lives of those in the audience.

Father Wagner first discovered his passion for public speaking when he enrolled in a speech class in junior high school. Although he signed up for the class simply because the teacher was highly recommended by his peers, he soon learned that he possessed a "God-given talent for public speaking." He was able to walk into class with little to no preparation and present a speech with confidence and poise.

Father Wagner’s current style of speaking to audiences reflects the basic techniques that he learned in that junior high speech class. Although his style has evolved, due to his varied life experiences, he states that the class basically shaped who he is as a public speaker.

For many people, the sheer idea of public speaking elicits fear, nervousness, anxiety and embarrassment. Father Wagner views public speaking as an opportunity to entertain as well as inform. He does not get nervous as he prepares to present his ideas to a large group of people; rather, Father Wagner feels anxious because he cannot wait to “perform” in a sense.

Just as actors, musicians and dancers experience the rush of adrenaline prior to the rise of the curtain, Father Wagner reacts similarly prior to a speech. Artists and speakers are excited to share their art form with their audience; they seek to evoke some emotion or to inspire in some way.

Likewise, Father Wagner enjoys the experience of public speaking because he gets to help people, not only in discovering their faith and relationship with God, but also in finding their way in the secular world.

He says, “I do it because I can help people and use the gift that I have been given, but I also do it because it’s really a lot of fun.”

Although Father Wagner speaks to large audiences because he finds it enjoyable, he also uses his talent to speak about the Catholic faith to all size groups in the Columbus Diocese. He acknowledges that public speaking does make up a large part of the mission of Catholic Priests, but that, "a good priest is not necessarily a good preacher, and a good preacher is not necessarily a good priest.”

A holy priest, in contrast, is one “who lives the life and the vocation, celebrates Mass and brings Christ to the altar. He is faithful to his vocation and to his mission but, at the same time, the priesthood is conducive to a teaching office as well—it is a part of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church,” said Father Wagner.

Initially, and perhaps subconsciously, Father Wagner was drawn to the priesthood by his passion for speaking. However, after being a Priest in the Catholic Diocese for five years, he has taken the skills he has learned as a priest in the Catholic Church, and has reached out to also help and inspire people in secular society.

Father Wagner is connected with many Catholic and other organizations and networks that give him the opportunity to further his growth as a priest, public speaker and as a human being.

He believes that he greatly benefits from interacting with those outside the Church because it allows him to talk about Jesus to a whole different group of people. He emphasizes the importance of relationships in his secular speeches--with love of neighbor and love of God--essentially at the heart of our Christian faith.

Father Wagner has great happiness presenting the Catholic Church's truth to those in the secular world in a way that they can easily understand. He says, “It is really a great experience to be a priest in the secular world; many people experience healing when they meet a priest in a non-religious setting. It is something they often tell me that they did not expect.”

Check out some of Father Wagner's homilies and other talks at www.frwagner.com.