Norbert Herkenrath

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Norbert Herkenrath (born July 15, 1929 in Siegburg ; † May 7, 1997 in Aachen ), known as Prelate Herkenrath, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church and development worker . From 1982 to 1997 he was general manager and from 1990 chairman of the board of the Episcopal Relief Organization Misereor . In 1995 he became known nationwide through the project and the study Sustainable Germany .

Life

After graduating from high school in Siegburg, Herkenrath studied philosophy and theology in Bonn and Munich . In 1955 he received by Cardinal Josef Frings in Cologne the priesthood and went as chaplain to the parish of St. Maternus to Cologne-Rodenkirchen . At the end of 1957, Herkenrath became rector of the Archbishop's Convict Collegium Josephinum in Bad Münstereifel . From 1965 to 1972 he was a diocesan youth pastor in the Archdiocese of Cologne . In 1970 he became a clerical adviser to the Heimstatt movement. At the end of 1972, the Archdiocese of Cologne released Herkenrath from taking over a pastoral care position in Parnaíba in the Brazilian state of Piauí . From 1972 to 1982 he was pastor in Pedro II in Piauí. In 1982 the Archdiocese of Cologne appointed the priest Herkenrath as managing director of the Bishop's Aid Organization MISEREOR e. V. free. From 1990 to 1997 he was CEO of MISEREOR.

In letters of condolence, Pope John Paul II and other Vatican representatives sent their condolences to Archbishop Cardinal Meisner of Cologne on the death of Prelate Herkenrath and paid tribute to his commitment to the world church.

Initiator of the study Sustainable Germany

Norbert Herkenrath was the central initiator of the study Sustainable Germany - A Contribution to Global Sustainable Development , which was carried out as a joint study by Misereor and BUND from 1995 to 1996 by the Wuppertal Institute . It led to an intensive socio-political and ecclesiastical discussion about the sustainable development of Germany and caused a great sensation, interest and criticism. The study was the first scientifically sound transformation study for a sustainable Germany. The aim of the study was to show what life could look like in a sustainable Germany that would help to preserve the natural foundations of life for future generations and to give the South the scope for socially just and ecologically compatible development. To communicate the study, over 1,000 events were organized in Germany, both by the church educational institutions and by the BUND.

In 1995, when Norbert Herkenrath was attacked because of the study, he countered the question why MISEREOR was concerned with Germany's future viability: “Those who ask this are fellow citizens from Germany. Our partners in the developing world do not ask this question. Rather, they ask what we are prepared to change here so that there can be a future worth living not just for us but for everyone. Our partners expect MISEREOR to represent the interests of the poor in the Third World in the discussion about the future of the Federal Republic. The inclusion of the interests of the poor in the Third World in the considerations in the here for the now and the future was the program. ”(Source: Press Office of the Archdiocese of Cologne 1997).

Church offices

  • 1982 General Manager and from 1990 Chairman of the Board of the Episcopal Relief Organization MISEREOR
  • 1984 Chairman of the Catholic Academic Foreigners Service (KAAD)
  • 1992 President of the German Catholic Mission Council (DKMR)
  • 1992 President of the International Working Group for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE) and Deputy Chairman of the Working Group for Development Aid. V. (AGEH).
  • Member of the Pontifical Council 'Cor Unum'
  • Member of the board of the German Commission Justitia et Pax
  • Chairman of the China Center, Sankt Augustin .

Awards

literature

  • Press office of the Archdiocese of Cologne: Advocate for the interests of the poor in the Third World MISEREOR prelate Norbert Herkenrath is dead. May 9, 1997 (No. 926)

Remarks

  1. ↑ BUND & Misereor (ed.): Zukunftsbaren Deutschland. A contribution to global sustainable development. Study by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy GmbH. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel / Boston / Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-7643-5278-7 ; 4th revised and expanded edition ibid. 1997, ISBN 3-7643-5711-8 .
personal data
SURNAME Herkenrath, Norbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German clergyman and CEO of Misereor
DATE OF BIRTH July 15, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Siegburg
DATE OF DEATH May 7, 1997
Place of death Aachen