Fr. Richard John Neuhaus - RIP
Fr. Richard Neuhaus passed away yesterday, 8 January 2009. Fr. Neuhaus has been battling cancer & was readmitted to the hosipital on 26 December 2008. Fr. Neuhas was born in Pembroke, Ontario Canada on 14 May 1936. The son of a Lutheran minister, he became a Lutheran minister himself in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In 1990 he converted to Catholicism. That same year he founded First Things. Over the years he was a regular on EWTN's The World Over Live. He also provided commentary for EWTN during the coverage of Pope John Paul II's funeral & the election of Papa Benedetto as well as his 2008 visit to the USA. Tonite's edition of The World Over Live (9 Jan 2009) will have a special report about Fr. Neuhaus. Fr. Neuhaus was also an unofficial advisor to President George W. Bush. The President refered to him as Fr. Richard. He sought Fr. Neuhaus' input on a variety of religious and ethical matters, including abortion, stem-cell research, cloning, and the defense of marriage amendment.
He is the originator of "Neuhaus's Law" (1997) which states that "Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed".
Fr. Neuhaus was able to take a wide variety of religious & philosophical issues & make them understandable to the average person. He will be sorely missed.
From the First Things website:
Our great, good friend is gone.
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus slipped away January 8, shortly before 10 o’clock, at the age of seventy-two. He never recovered from the weakness that sent him to the hospital the day after Christmas, caused by a series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering. He lost consciousness Tuesday evening after a collapse in his heart rate, and soon after, in the company of friends, he died.
My tears are not for him—for he knew, all his life, that his Redeemer lives, and he has now been gathered by the Lord in whom he trusted.
I weep, rather, for all the rest of us. As a priest, as a writer, as a public leader in so many struggles, and as a friend, no one can take his place. The fabric of life has been torn by his death, and it will not be repaired, for those of us who knew him, until that time when everything is mended and all our tears are wiped away.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Conception—414 E. 14th Street, New York City—on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at 10 a.m.
Bishops and priests who wish to attend are asked please to inform Nathaniel Peters (by e-mail or phone 212-627-2288) by Sunday afternoon, January 11, at the latest.
A Christian wake service in the form of a Vigil for the Deceased will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Monday evening, January 12, at 7:30 p.m. Clergy who plan to attend are asked to sit with the congregation.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for Fr. Neuhaus’ work, the Institute on Religion and Public Life, online at this page or by mail to:
Institute on Religion and Public Life
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus slipped away January 8, shortly before 10 o’clock, at the age of seventy-two. He never recovered from the weakness that sent him to the hospital the day after Christmas, caused by a series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering. He lost consciousness Tuesday evening after a collapse in his heart rate, and soon after, in the company of friends, he died.
My tears are not for him—for he knew, all his life, that his Redeemer lives, and he has now been gathered by the Lord in whom he trusted.
I weep, rather, for all the rest of us. As a priest, as a writer, as a public leader in so many struggles, and as a friend, no one can take his place. The fabric of life has been torn by his death, and it will not be repaired, for those of us who knew him, until that time when everything is mended and all our tears are wiped away.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Conception—414 E. 14th Street, New York City—on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at 10 a.m.
Bishops and priests who wish to attend are asked please to inform Nathaniel Peters (by e-mail or phone 212-627-2288) by Sunday afternoon, January 11, at the latest.
A Christian wake service in the form of a Vigil for the Deceased will be celebrated at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Monday evening, January 12, at 7:30 p.m. Clergy who plan to attend are asked to sit with the congregation.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for Fr. Neuhaus’ work, the Institute on Religion and Public Life, online at this page or by mail to:
Institute on Religion and Public Life
156 Fifth Avenue Suite 400
New York, NY 10010
Please accept our thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
In Deepest Sorrow,
Joseph Bottum Editor
Please accept our thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
In Deepest Sorrow,
Joseph Bottum Editor
Here is the CNA report of his death:
New York, Jan 8, 2009 (CNA).- Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, the famous convert to Catholicism and editor of the journal First Things passed away this morning in New York at 9:30 a.m. EST.
CNA was informed of Fr. Neuhaus’ death through an announcement from George Weigel who stated, "Father Richard John Neuhaus was called home to the house of the Father at about 09:30 EST today. May God grant him the reward of his labors, and give consolation and peace to those who loved him and who will carry on his work."
Fr. Neuhaus himself revealed his battle with cancer in an article written on December 5. "The nature of the cancer is beginning to come into clearer focus, and I hope to have more details in short order. Meanwhile, I will, please God, continue to be as engaged as possible in the work of First Things and other apostolates, even as I am compelled by grace to know more deeply our solidarity within the Body of Christ," he wrote.
In late December, the First Things blog disclosed that Fr. Neuhaus’ health had taken a turn for the worse. During the Christmas Season he became "dangerously ill" from what appeared to be "a systemic infection," which left him very weak. "Entering the hospital the day after Christmas, he was sedated to lower an elevated heart rate and treatment was begun for the infection."
A source close to Fr. Neuhaus told CNA that a few days ago the priest received the last rites from Fr. George Rutler, and since then had lost consciousness, along with a steady deterioration in his vital signs.
Finally, here is what the Cardinal Newman Society had to say on his passing:
Manassas, Va. – The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) today joined with Catholics around the world in celebrating the life and mourning the death of the great intellectual Father Richard John Neuhaus, a key advisor and longtime financial contributor to what he called the “indomitable” CNS.
“Father Neuhaus was a gift to us all,” said Patrick Reilly, President of CNS. “With his passage from this world The Cardinal Newman Society mourns not only the passing of an heroic defender of truth, especially in higher education, but also of a beloved advisor, generous supporter and dear friend. Those of us left behind will be blessed by Father Neuhaus’ voluminous corpus of works and grand legacy—and now his prayers of intercession—for many years to come.
According to Joseph Bottum, editor of First Things, Father Richard John Neuhaus died just before 10 a.m. today, January 8, 2009. The rapid decline of his health was caused by a “series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering.” He was re-hospitalized on December 26 and eventually lost consciousness after his heart rate collapsed. First Things reports that “the next day, in the company of friends, he died.”
The Cardinal Newman Society encourages all to join in offering prayers for the repose of Father Neuhaus’ soul, the consolation of his friends and family, and the continuation of his good works on Earth.
REMEMBERING THE WORDS OF FATHER NEUHAUS
On Catholic college renewal: “’We are the avant-garde; we are the future,’ proclaimed Father Richard John Neuhaus… A convert to the Catholic Church, Father Neuhaus is a proponent of the concept of the ‘Catholic Moment,’ a current widow of opportunity for the Catholic Church to renew its institutions and promote a great spiritual reawakening throughout the world. That ‘Catholic Moment,’ he explained, includes a renewal of Catholic higher education, especially with the help of a promising new generation of Catholics who yearn for a society that is built upon faith and values. ‘This is not optimism, it is hope,’ Father Neuhaus said. ‘And hope is that which is positive in the face of everything that is contrary to hope.’ He explained that ‘hope’ recognizes that God can heal the world even in its darkest hour: ‘At the heart of the horror of the Cross is Christ.’” (Arlington Catholic Herald on Father Neuhaus’ keynote address to The Cardinal Newman Society national conference, November 1996)
On The Vagina Monologues on college campuses: “The performance entails, as I understand it, women getting their kicks by talking as dirty as possible about their sexual fantasies. This year’s list included Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. Upon investigation, however, it was determined that the Diocese of Rochester no longer recognizes the two schools as Catholic. …One wonders what, if anything, is taught about St. John Fisher at the college that bears his name. While hypocrisy may be the tribute that vice pays to virtue, one would like to think that somebody there might succumb to a twinge of decency and suggest a name change. And then there is Nazareth. I suppose it might be argued that the name is a purely geographic reference, although, admittedly, a rather odd one for upstate New York. Brighter students probably know that the school was named for somebody really famous who came from Nazareth, or visited Nazareth and, like, really liked it, or whatever.” (First Things, May 2005)
On pro-abortion commencement speakers: “Who, me? It is exceedingly tiresome when college and university administrators protest that they don’t do what they so obviously do do. While effusively affirming their devotion to their ‘Catholic identity,’ they deny it by the most egregious of actions. One university president assures me that it has been made perfectly clear that this year’s commencement speaker will not be ‘honored’ in any way. What twaddle. Being chosen as commencement speaker is as great an honor as most institutions provide. Chatter about ‘Catholic identity’ or, even more tenuously, ‘education in the Jesuit tradition’ is, a Jewish friend observes, comparable to advertising ‘kosher-like’ hot dogs. Few things can constitute a more explicit, in-your-face, denial of Catholic seriousness than the choice of pro-abortion commencement speakers.” (First Things, August/September 1999)
On Jesuit colleges: “Pornographer Larry Flynt spoke at Georgetown University recently. …’Catholic and Jesuit’ nicely nuances the distinction between an institution that is Catholic Jesuit and one that is Jesuit Catholic. The adjective is all important. I was told the other day that you can tell the kind of Jesuit you’re dealing with by when he bows his head at the mention of the Society of Jesus. Some bow at ‘Society’ and others at ‘Jesus.’” (First Things, August/September 1999)
On choosing a college: “Students and parents searching for the college that is just right have no easy task. The Newman Guide may not make it easy, but it will surely make more likely a choice for which both students and parents will give thanks for years to come.” (The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, 2007)
On preserving the faith: “But the gist of [Pope] Benedict’s argument at Regensburg and in many other forums is directed to Christian intellectuals who, in the name of ‘de-Hellenizing’ Christianity, pit biblical faith against the great synthesis of faith and reason achieved over the centuries of the Christian intellectual tradition. …It is not reasonable, he argues with great intellectual sophistication, to hold that atheism or agnosticism is the default position of rationality. Nor, he insists, can the undoubted achievements of modernity be sustained without reference to transcendent truth. …In Catholic history, the cry through the centuries is for libertas ecclesiae—the freedom of the Church to be the Church. For Catholics and others, that freedom now faces a time of severe testing. In the defense of that freedom there have been through the centuries martyrs beyond numbering. We do not know what will happen in the months and years ahead, except that now it may be our turn.” (First Things blog at firstthings.com, 11/21/2008)
“Father Neuhaus was a gift to us all,” said Patrick Reilly, President of CNS. “With his passage from this world The Cardinal Newman Society mourns not only the passing of an heroic defender of truth, especially in higher education, but also of a beloved advisor, generous supporter and dear friend. Those of us left behind will be blessed by Father Neuhaus’ voluminous corpus of works and grand legacy—and now his prayers of intercession—for many years to come.
According to Joseph Bottum, editor of First Things, Father Richard John Neuhaus died just before 10 a.m. today, January 8, 2009. The rapid decline of his health was caused by a “series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering.” He was re-hospitalized on December 26 and eventually lost consciousness after his heart rate collapsed. First Things reports that “the next day, in the company of friends, he died.”
The Cardinal Newman Society encourages all to join in offering prayers for the repose of Father Neuhaus’ soul, the consolation of his friends and family, and the continuation of his good works on Earth.
REMEMBERING THE WORDS OF FATHER NEUHAUS
On Catholic college renewal: “’We are the avant-garde; we are the future,’ proclaimed Father Richard John Neuhaus… A convert to the Catholic Church, Father Neuhaus is a proponent of the concept of the ‘Catholic Moment,’ a current widow of opportunity for the Catholic Church to renew its institutions and promote a great spiritual reawakening throughout the world. That ‘Catholic Moment,’ he explained, includes a renewal of Catholic higher education, especially with the help of a promising new generation of Catholics who yearn for a society that is built upon faith and values. ‘This is not optimism, it is hope,’ Father Neuhaus said. ‘And hope is that which is positive in the face of everything that is contrary to hope.’ He explained that ‘hope’ recognizes that God can heal the world even in its darkest hour: ‘At the heart of the horror of the Cross is Christ.’” (Arlington Catholic Herald on Father Neuhaus’ keynote address to The Cardinal Newman Society national conference, November 1996)
On The Vagina Monologues on college campuses: “The performance entails, as I understand it, women getting their kicks by talking as dirty as possible about their sexual fantasies. This year’s list included Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. Upon investigation, however, it was determined that the Diocese of Rochester no longer recognizes the two schools as Catholic. …One wonders what, if anything, is taught about St. John Fisher at the college that bears his name. While hypocrisy may be the tribute that vice pays to virtue, one would like to think that somebody there might succumb to a twinge of decency and suggest a name change. And then there is Nazareth. I suppose it might be argued that the name is a purely geographic reference, although, admittedly, a rather odd one for upstate New York. Brighter students probably know that the school was named for somebody really famous who came from Nazareth, or visited Nazareth and, like, really liked it, or whatever.” (First Things, May 2005)
On pro-abortion commencement speakers: “Who, me? It is exceedingly tiresome when college and university administrators protest that they don’t do what they so obviously do do. While effusively affirming their devotion to their ‘Catholic identity,’ they deny it by the most egregious of actions. One university president assures me that it has been made perfectly clear that this year’s commencement speaker will not be ‘honored’ in any way. What twaddle. Being chosen as commencement speaker is as great an honor as most institutions provide. Chatter about ‘Catholic identity’ or, even more tenuously, ‘education in the Jesuit tradition’ is, a Jewish friend observes, comparable to advertising ‘kosher-like’ hot dogs. Few things can constitute a more explicit, in-your-face, denial of Catholic seriousness than the choice of pro-abortion commencement speakers.” (First Things, August/September 1999)
On Jesuit colleges: “Pornographer Larry Flynt spoke at Georgetown University recently. …’Catholic and Jesuit’ nicely nuances the distinction between an institution that is Catholic Jesuit and one that is Jesuit Catholic. The adjective is all important. I was told the other day that you can tell the kind of Jesuit you’re dealing with by when he bows his head at the mention of the Society of Jesus. Some bow at ‘Society’ and others at ‘Jesus.’” (First Things, August/September 1999)
On choosing a college: “Students and parents searching for the college that is just right have no easy task. The Newman Guide may not make it easy, but it will surely make more likely a choice for which both students and parents will give thanks for years to come.” (The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, 2007)
On preserving the faith: “But the gist of [Pope] Benedict’s argument at Regensburg and in many other forums is directed to Christian intellectuals who, in the name of ‘de-Hellenizing’ Christianity, pit biblical faith against the great synthesis of faith and reason achieved over the centuries of the Christian intellectual tradition. …It is not reasonable, he argues with great intellectual sophistication, to hold that atheism or agnosticism is the default position of rationality. Nor, he insists, can the undoubted achievements of modernity be sustained without reference to transcendent truth. …In Catholic history, the cry through the centuries is for libertas ecclesiae—the freedom of the Church to be the Church. For Catholics and others, that freedom now faces a time of severe testing. In the defense of that freedom there have been through the centuries martyrs beyond numbering. We do not know what will happen in the months and years ahead, except that now it may be our turn.” (First Things blog at firstthings.com, 11/21/2008)
posted by Al @ 12:23 AM
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