Bishop Norbert Strotmann, M.S.C. Citation

May 23, 2010

Noted theologian, author, academic and pastor, you have devoted your life to the evangelization of the poor. For four decades, you have made your pastoral home in Peru, far from your native Germany. There you have shared your knowledge and faith with people in the Andean highlands and later with students and colleagues at Lima's Superior Institute of Theological Studies and at the Pontifical and Civil Faculty of Theology, where you also served as professor and rector. In 1992, Pope John Paul II named you to the International Theological Commission in Rome.

You first served in Peru as a Missionary priest of the Sacred Heart. In 1993, Pope John Paul II named you an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Lima. In 1997, he appointed you as the first bishop of the newly- created Diocese of Chosica, a vast area of metropolitan Lima. Combining intellectual rigor, your training in the social sciences and your closeness to the reality of poverty, you have created a climate of hope for the future amidst the difficulties of the urban poor. You have accomplished this with a self-effacing manner and a pleasant sense of humor and irony.

With energy and compassion, you have addressed the challenges in the teeming barrios where the Word of God as well as effective, efficient measures respond to health needs, urban violence, the struggle against drug use among young people, and the growing crisis of the family. To assist in these efforts, in 2006, you collaborated with Holy Cross Family Ministries to create the Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. Center in Canto Grande. In just a few years, this Center has become a catalyst for promoting the human dignity of all the children of God, a constant theme in your preaching. Thanks to your inspiration and support, the Church in the most populous district of Peru is bringing "light and hope" in the midst of shadows and the temptation to resignation.

For demonstrating your faith through humble and efficacious service to and with the poor in Peru, Stonehill College is proud to bestow upon you, Bishop Norbert Strotmann, M.S.C. honoris causa, the degree of Doctor of Theology.

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