2012 Honoree: Most Reverend J. Terry Steib, Bishop of the Diocese of Memphis
Aquinas Institute of Theology is pleased to honor the Most Reverend J. Terry Steib, S.V.D, the bishop of the Catholic diocese of Memphis, as the 2012 recipient of its annual Great Preacher Award. The Award 2as presented to Bishop Steib on Thursday, October 25, 2012.
Aquinas Institute, run by the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), instituted the Great Preacher Award in 1995 to recognize those who by their words and actions have contributed in an outstanding way to the building up of the Catholic community. Aquinas Institute considers the Great Preacher Award a powerful means of renewing the Church and promoting good preaching while sharing its Dominican charism. The award is intended not only to sustain preachers of the Word but also to help Catholics become more attuned to hearing the Word.
Aquinas Institute honors Bishop Steib for his dedication to encouraging a Church that welcomes and values Catholics across a diverse cultural spectrum. He has served as Consultant for the African-American Catholics Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, committee member for Hispanic Affairs in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Extension Society. Bishop Steib is also committed to the Catholic school system in Memphis, re-opening several closed schools in the diocese, schools which since have become community anchors and models for education in the city.
Born in Vacherie, Louisiana, to Rosemond and Vivian Jones Steib, J. Terry Steib was ordained a priest in 1967 in the order of the Society of the Divine Word. After ordination, he was Dean of Students at Divine Word Seminary, and also taught seminary students at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Bay St. Louis. From 1976-1983, he served three terms as Provincial Superior of the Divine Word Missionaries, Southern Province, and from 1979-1983 he was Vice President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men.
In 1984, he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Archbishop John L. May. In 1993, Bishop Steib was installed as the fourth bishop of the Memphis, Tennessee diocese. He currently serves as a member on the USCCB Committee of Clergy & Consecrated Life & Vocations, is a Consultant for the USCCB Committee for Cultural Diversity, the Commission on Religious Life & Ministry; and on the Sub-Committee of Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
For more information regarding past and future Great Preacher Award events, please contact Aquinas Institute of Theology at (314) 256-8857, or e-mail great.preacher@ai.edu.