Turibius de Mongrovejo, Bishop

As a young man, Turibius (or Toribio) was educated in law and soon recognized as a brilliant scholar. Much to his surprise, he was later ordained and made Archbishop of Lima, Peru, where he showed strong leadership and wisdom. He was surprised because he did not seek such a lofty position within the church. Peru at that time was beset with challenges, but Turibius kept faith and demonstrated great courage. He helped build the church into a stronger witness of the Gospel. The charities of Turibius were numerous. The bishop recognized that many of the poor Spaniards would not accept charity publicly or from anyone they knew. In these cases, he provided assistance without the beneficiaries knowing where the help came from.

In his lifetime, Turbius became known as a wise, humane, and just administrator during his tenure in Peru. He met strong opposition from many who preferred the excesses of abuse and corruption. But this did not deter Turbius from seeking justice for the oppressed.