CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was one of two recipients of the 1999 Pope John XXIII Award for Distinguished Service, presented May 12 by Viterbo College, LaCrosse, Wis.
The other recipient was Sister Helen Prejean, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. She is a well-known death penalty opponent from Louisiana and author of "Dead Man Walking," a book which inspired the Academy Award-winning movie with the same title.
Previous recipients of the award include Charles Kuralt, Norman Vincent Peale, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh and the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom, former presiding bishop of the ELCA.
The award was established in 1975 to "recognize men and women who have distinguished themselves through service to higher education, to community and to humankind," according a description of the award. Recipients are selected by the executive committee of the college's Board of Advisors on the basis of outstanding leadership that exemplifies the spirit of Pope John XXIII. Pope John XXIII, elected in 1958, convened Vatican II, which led to significant reforms in the Roman Catholic Church. He died four-and-one-half years after his election.
Anderson is the spiritual leader of the 5.2 million member ELCA, which includes nearly 11,000 congregations, and numerous campus, prison and military locations throughout the world. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Yale University and earned graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He served on the faculty of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C., and was its president from 1970 to 1981. He also served as president of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, for 13 years before his election as presiding bishop of the ELCA in August 1995.
Anderson was chair of a series of dialogues between Lutherans and Roman Catholics in the 1980s and 1990s. He is also known for his writings on Lutheran history. His work includes many scholarly essays and book chapters. Anderson writes a regular column in The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA, and published "A Good Time to be the Church, A Conversation with Bishop H. George Anderson," in February 1997.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
