Skip to main content

I didn't really know him, but his life was a legacy.

A friend of a friend reports on the vigil and passing of Richard John Neuhaus (RJN), a well loved and devout Catholic Theologian, Writer, Editor, and Priest:

 

The vigil mass for RJN was beautiful. It was at Immaculate Conception on 14th Street which, as you know, was his parish. The church was packed. I got there in time to get inside the sanctuary, but had to stand against the back wall. People were standing all around the inside walls, in the vestibule, and anywhere else they could squeeze themselves in.

There were three short eulogies, given by George Weigel, Joseph Bottum, and Robert Louis Wilken. All three included funny anecdotes, including one that made me think of our ADK trips. Joseph Bottum said that every summer RJN would go to his family's camp in Ontario for 2 weeks or so. He would always invite Robert Novak up for a couple of days. Novak said, "I brought the kosher food, Richard brought the liquor and opinions."

Joseph Bottum also read a very thoughtful letter from George Bush. In the letter, Mr. Bush mentioned how much he appreciated the counsel of RJN. He may not have been our greatest president, but I actually felt a connection with Mr. Bush while that letter was being read. I don't know if he actually wrote it, but I do believe he was sad to hear of RJN's passing. And it was obvious he had a lot of respect for RJN. Mr. Bush may not be a Catholic, but I think he recognizes a true spiritual leader when he meets one.

What really made the trip worth it (I'm sure I could have read the eulogies online) was to see the diverse kinds of people there. Of course you had people like Weigel, but people like him were actually in the minority. It was very Chestertonian or, in the Joyce sense, Catholic. It was definitely "here comes everybody." There were some people there who perhaps didn't even come in for the mass. It's NYC after all. Some disabled homeless people apparently came into the church just because it was open and warm. They were slouched over on benches and sitting on the floor in the vestibule, apparently not paying attention to what was being said. Many of the people in the pews were obviously parishioners, and there was a group of religious in the back as well, with gray cassocks and sandals. In addition to the Mr. Bush letter, the only other letter that Joseph Bottum chose to read was from a woman who was trained by RJN to be an altar server. It was obvious that RJN's true "job" was what happened everyday in that parish, not the articles or books he wrote. It was all very fitting.

When they brought his coffin out at the end, you could have heard a pin drop. But all in all I would describe the mood as rather joyous. Everyone was celebrating a life well lived and I don't think too many people were anxious about where RJN was now.

 

Popular posts from this blog

John Henry Newman sets out to defend the idea of Liberal (when I say "liberal" it is in the sense of a Liberal Arts degree)University for the training of young men. (His book is aimed at men and for the purpose of men... I dont know if the education of women at that time was still frowned upon). Within a series of nine discourses (which he initially delivered at the inaugural year of the University in Ireland)he sets out to defend his picture of what a University education should look like. Newman's arguments are logical and well defended with the arguments building, like a tower is built, upon one another. Each discourse takes up a specific thesis and is defended in the following pages. He first demonstrates that Truth is One, that is composed of one overarching, interrelated matrix. There are many systems of thought that are a play, but nonetheless, all Truth is delicately intertwined so that if you neglect one aspect of the Truth in essence you are unraveling the binds...
Read more

8/15/2016

  Kevin,                                                               At this time I believe it is necessary that I inform you of what is going on internally. As a high school boys soccer coach I learned that you want team captains who are fully dedicated to the team’s success. If they aren’t, the entire team struggles to reach its goals.  While I am part of the FBBC team, I believe I am lacking in this desired leadership quality myself.  After seven full months in my current position, I do not believe my passions are managing money for the church. As a result I do not have internal peace about the longevity of my current position. I believe there are better people for this role. I believe FBBC would be a stronger organization if a person more suited for this role were here. I c...
Read more

Pastor Or Theologian?

I received a facebook message from a long-lost college friend and roommate the other day. In his cordial greeting he noted, and correctly, that I had just graduated with a Masters in Theology. I really appreciated the recognition and congratulations, but what bothered me was his next question. He asked if I was "going to be a Pastor or a Theologian?" I laughed, not because I thought the answer to the question was obvious, but because of the fact that he dichotomized the two disciplines as mutually exclusive. My first reaction was to respond with a smart alec remark about his ignorance and misconstrued views of Christianity and its relationship to education, but then I had to stop and remember that he graduated from the same undergraduate institution which I graduated from, and probably, like me, attended a 'fundy' church growing up. Reminding myself of this context cooled me off a bit and I kindly responded that I would hope someday to do both. Nonetheless, what his ...
Read more