KROTZ, BONAVENTURA. - Dominican preacher, secular name Friedrich Julius, b. Dec. 20, 1862, at Karlsruhe, d. May 12, 1914, at Berlin. Ordained priest in 1888 and chaplain at Heidelberg. Gifted with singular eloquence and drawn to the figure of Lacordaire, he entered the Dominicans at Venlo in 1892. Devoting himself to preaching, with his persuasive word, rich in vast learning and rare experience of contemporary life, he achieved the widest and most flattering success.
Called by Meyenberg the "German Lacordaire," he was most celebrated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States (1905-1906), earning in the Order the title of preacher general (1908). From 1907 curate at St. Mary of Victory in Berlin, in 1911 chaplain to university students, always initiating religious, charitable, social, and cultural works, he distinguished himself as a director of souls, especially of converts. He wrote *Das ewige Licht*, published by A. Donders (Freiburg 1920; 9th ed. there 1923); *Mein Rosenkranz* (there 1920).