Remembering Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

Fr. John Richard Neuhaus, a great Catholic intellectual and theologian, and a major voice in the pro-life movement for over 40 years, passed away of cancer at age 72 on January 8.

Watching "The World Over" this evening on EWTN, I learned a lot about him. Here are the highlights: Michael Novak, Catholic educator and author, and George Weigel, a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a Catholic theologian, both close friends of Fr. Neuhaus, were guests. Both men praised his intellectual genius as well as his ability to relate well to people. Novak described Fr. Neuhaus as "the most consequential Christian intellectual in America since Reinhold Niebuhr. " Weigel described Fr. Neuhaus as "a remarkable, gentle discerning counselor", especially with young people.

I learned that Fr. Neuhaus was a convert to Catholicism. He had served as a Lutheran pastor, writer, and theologian for thirty years and had been working for Christian unity (between the Protestant and Catholic faiths) when Vatican II came along and he left the Lutheran faith to become a Catholic. When he had been a Lutheran, he served at a predominantly black parish in Brooklyn, in the heart of the ghetto. He loved parish work and felt grounded by being with people. As a strong proponent of civil rights, Fr. Neuhaus was a friend of Martin Luther King and marched with him to Washington D.C. in 1963. He later became involved in the pro-life movement, which he viewed as a successor to the civil rights movement.

In 1993, he had a terrible encounter with cancer, which helped him grow spiritually and surrender his will to God. He commented in an earlier interview on EWTN, "There is a surrender of discovering that there is a Power...that can be trusted and even in the deepest darkness there is hope... that hope is Christ."

To learn more about Fr. Neuhaus, please read the following:

First Things: Photographs of Richard John Neuhaus

First Things: Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009 by Joseph Bottum, Editor of First Things

First Things: January 9, 2009 - How I Became the Catholic I Was By Richard John Neuhaus

First Things: January, 2009 - The Pro-Life Movement as the Politics of the 1960s by Richard John Neuhaus

NCRegister.com: Father Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009

LifeNews.com: Pro-Life Catholic Luminary Father Richard John Neuhaus Dies After Cancer Battle
by Steven Ertelt

Catholic News Service: First Things founder Father Richard John Neuhaus dies from cancer

National Catholic Reporter: A second brother dies by Michael Novak

National Catholic Reporter: Fr. Richard John Neuhaus dead at age 72 by John L. Allen Jr., NCR Staff, Senior Correspondent

CNSNews.com: Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, R.I.P. By Michael Chapman

NRO: Bench Memos by Ed Whelan

On a more personal note:

It saddened me to hear of the death of Fr. Neuhaus. I will miss this great pro-life champion. I will miss his great teaching and preaching, but at the same time, I am happy that he has gone to his eternal reward. I admired Fr. Neuhaus a great deal and especially enjoyed reading his articles from First Things and watching him when he served as a commentator / narrator for papal specials with Raymond Arroyo on EWTN. He was so knowledgeable about everything and had a wonderful dry wit. In his life, he surrendered to God's will and was a wonderful example of love to all of us. He will be sorely missed!

Related Posts:

Pro-life Quote of the Day: Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

Statement from President Bush on the passing of Fr. Neuhaus

On Father Neuhaus

A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: ADVANCE THE TRUE PRO-LIFE ETHIC

Prayers Needed for Fr. Neuhaus

Fr. Richard Neuhaus: Obama and the Bishops

Where the Presidential Candidates Really Stand on the Issues
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