A Grain of Wheat | Christa R. Klein, Ph.D

A Grain of Wheat contains sixty-five of the sermons that Leonard R. Klein preached as a shepherd of souls. Formerly a Lutheran pastor, Klein entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2003 and was ordained a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, in 2006. With the exception of his last sermon as a Lutheran pastor, this volume draws from more than five hundred sermons that he proclaimed as a Catholic priest.

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. (John 12:24)

The first four sections of A Grain of Wheat follow the liturgical year: Advent through Christmas; Lent and the Easter season; Ordinary Time; and Solemnities and Feasts. The fifth section offers an array of Occasional Sermons, notable among which are those given at funerals (including that of his daughter Renate) and at weddings. In the words of Christa Ressmeyer Klein, his wife and this volume’s editor, Fr. Klein was “a teaching preacher who coaxed parishioners to put on the whole armor of God and be equipped to lead holy lives.” A veritable feast of good and nourishing preaching, A Grain of Wheat is certain to sustain both those who hear the Word and those who bear the honor of preaching it.

Father Leonard R. Klein (1945–2019) served the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, as rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter and pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church / St. Patrick Church. A Lutheran pastor from 1972 to 2003, he was ordained a Catholic priest in 2006. Notable for his effective expository preaching, liturgical sensibility, and pastoral care, Father Klein was also director of the Respect Life Committee for the Diocese of Wilmington and chaplain to the St. Thomas More Society.

Christa R. Klein, Ph.D., his wife of fifty years, enjoys their family of two married children and seven grand-children. She taught at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she also served as founding dean for the Center for Continuing Formation. She also serves on the Saint John's Seminary Board of Trustees. She is president emerita of In Trust, a center founded to strengthen leadership in Christian theological seminaries in North America.