The St. Philip Institute
Bishop Joseph Strickland Receives “The St. Thomas Aquinas Award for the Defense of Moral Truth” from the NAPA INSTITUTE
Bishop Joseph Strickland, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas and Founder of the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization, received “The St. Thomas Aquinas Award for the Defense of Moral Truth” from the NAPA Institute.
The Award cites the Letter the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus in the New Testament where the Apostle sets forth the qualifications of Bishops. Among these he writes: “He (the Bishop) must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9)
Bishop Strickland was ordained the fourth Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas by His Eminence Cardinal Daniel DiNardo on November 28, 2012. In a column he wrote last year, the Bishop reflected on that day – and his understanding of the duty of a Bishop in these words:
It was on that stage in front of 1,800 people that His Eminence, during the Rite of Ordination, asked me several questions, two of which are vital to my mission as a bishop. First, “Are you resolved to be faithful and constant in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?” and second, “Are you resolved to maintain the deposit of faith, entire and incorrupt, as handed down by the apostles and professed by the Church everywhere and at all times?” My response to both questions was a resounding “I am!”
It was at this point that the deeper meaning of the phrase “deposit of faith” came alive for me. I also began to understand my role in magisterial teaching and my serious call, as a successor of the Apostles, to the ongoing task of “Guarding the Deposit of Faith” given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to the Apostles and handed down since then. These two powerful questions, and my response to them, continue to guide me in my role as the chief teacher and Shepherd of the flock of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas.
The St. Thomas Aquinas Award states on the plaque:
In recognition of your indomitable defense and preservation of Christ’s teachings through Natural Law and for enlightening the reason and faith of generations to come so that they may boldly go forth and proclaim the Gospel with courage and fortitude.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION contact: Stacy Trasancos, strasancos@stphilipinstitute.org.
