Fr. Richard John Neuhaus R.I.P.
As many of you already know Fr. Richard John Neuhaus passed away this morning due to cancer. He was a man of considerable intelligence and the sort of dry wit that I enjoy and the master of the turn of phrase. His Public Square columns in First Things was always a joy to read both for his insights and his mastery of language.
I do find it interesting that it was Fr. George Rutler a former Anglican priest was the one to give last rites to Fr. Neuhaus who was a former Lutheran priest which invokes to me Fr. Neuhaus line about having many ironies in the fire.
John Allen Jr. has a good overview of Fr. Neuhaus' life.
We can say thank you to Fr. Neuhaus' life of service by praying for him.
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This hit me with a dull thud, like a snow storm that wasn't in the forecast..."But we needed him, he can't leave NOW. Not today, not THIS year", I want to say. Not that it will do any good--Fr Neuhaus is on his way Home.
Thank you for this update, in any case. Of course I will pray. I am praying. I am just surprised that I feel more like moping than praying. And I didn't even know Fr Neuhaus, but his writing made "First Things" my most recommended and linked publication.
Hmph. Any and all words of inspiration to throw some of us off the "NOW what are we gonna do?" track would be appreciated. Double hmph. Plus prayers for the soul of the Lord's faithful servant, strong witness and gifted priest.
Triple hmph. I didn't even know til this morning that he had been suffering from cancer.
Done complaining now. Perhaps Fr N's writing was done because there was nothing NEW to say about the mess in which the world finds itself today. Maybe it's time to pay closer attention to all the truth that has already been written.
Back to work, prayer, and contemplation of truths we have been told.
Let us take comfort in the thought that if, by the mercy of God, he now rests or will soon rest in the company of the Saints and angels in heaven, the Church Militant shall have yet another intercessor praying for the success of the Restoration that now appears to be underway.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
Father Neuhaus was a great man, a defender of the faith and an intellectual of the highest order...May he Rest in Peace!
Fr. Neuhaus will be greatly missed. Requiescat in pacem.
I noticed on the First Things website that it has been requested that donations be made to First Things in lieu of flowers.
I believe that Fr. Rutler also brought Fr. Neuhaus into the Church. I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere, but I don't remember where. May he rest in peace.
The ancient Romans had a saying "de mortuis nil nisi bonum" (speak only well and nothing evil of the dead). Sadly, Father Neuhaus' body is not even cold let along given a Christian burial when his nefarious enemies launch calumnous and slanderous scud missiles on the internet and blogoshere. Already vilified and spoken in derision, the good name and reputation of this intellectual giant and a very devout and holy priest is being trashed just to satisfy the puerile needs of some to kick a corpse as a schoolyard bully would pick on innocent victims.
Father Neuhaus was the second gem of the Catholic Church in America to be lost in recent days, along with the death of Avery Cardinal Dulles. Both these men were eloquent and erudite and both converted to the Catholic faith drawn by the gorgeous beauty of perennial truth.
A faithful son the Church, Neuhaus was loyal to the Pope and faithful to the Magisterium, unlike others of his trade (i.e., so-called Catholic theologians and scholars who dissent from church doctrine with impugnity).
He will be missed and fondly remembered. Rest in peace.
You tell 'em, Father Trigilio!
Good grief-the so-called 'intellegentsia' are flapping their wings and cawing, ere before the body has grown cold!
Rest in peace, Fr. Neuhaus...
As macabre as this may sound... one advantage of losing Church rockstars like Fr. Neuhaus and Cardinal Dulles is that their high profiles mean that they get obit coverage in the secular media as well as our little Catholic bubble. My (protestant) father noted to me that "weird, huh? two big-wigs in the catholic church were both converts?"
If their passings spark new interest in their work, lives, and writings, then it's beautiful! And we'll continue to pray for the repose of their souls and the comfort of their families.
Mary,
Actually Fr. Rutler didn't bring Fr. Neuhaus into the Church. You can read Fr. Neuhaus' conversion story at First Things: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1284
He seems to have brought himself into the Church (along with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, of course!)
Dr. Robert Royal, editor-in-chief of "The Catholic Thing" and President of The Faith & Reason Institute, will be my guest tomorrow on "Catholic Radio 2.0" to discuss Fr. Neuhaus' work and legacy. You can either listen live at 11:00 AM ET or download the archive of the show later that day by going to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CommanderCraig.
I concur with all of the above regarding Fr. Neuhaus and will miss terribly his writing in First Things, especially "The Public Square". He was a great and good man and priest.
Regarding Fr. Rutler they obviously were close friends. Not long ago I either heard or read (don't remember where) his comment that "Fr. Rutler even has a clerical collar sewn in his pyjamas". Hilarious, and so typical of his quick wit.
May he rest in peace.
I would have loved to have had Fr. Neuhaus over for dinner. But oh wow, what a great time he and Dulles must be having being introduced to Cardinal Newman and that really great convert -- St. Paul!