UCEF Loses Inspirational Friend & Advisor
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, a member of the UCEF's Advisory Council, passed away January 8.
For whom the bell tolls...
THE START OF 2009 was bittersweet for the UCEF. On the one hand, there was cause for joy because of the tremendous outpouring of support during 2008. When hearts are touched by God, generosity will triumph over the toughest times.
On the other, there was cause for mourning. Not the mourning of despair, however, but that Christian form of mourning which is soothed with the joy of having been blessed to know a good soul now gone to his rest. Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, a member of the UCEF’s Advisory Council, died on January 8 after a brief but savage bout with cancer—a trial he faced with the calm courage one could expect from the son of a Lutheran pastor who was reared in rural Canada.
The UCEF is far from alone in mourning Father Neuhaus. He was one of America’s premier public intellectuals, a designation grounded in real learning, courage of conviction, and a persona marked by a sharp wit and easy humor that brightened the many forums which he addressed over decades. A theologian and author, he was best known for editing the influential religious journal, First Things. Confronting an increasingly secular society, he argued in his seminal book The Naked Public Square that the separation of church and state was precisely to allow for the maximum freedom for the exercise of religion for benefit of public life. Because of this, he often was deemed controversial by the very same proponents of anti-Christianity he accused of stripping from the public square the Christian faith that helped make America good.
A champion of right thought and orthodox Christianity, his Catholicism was lent that clarity of conviction which often distinguishes the convert. He began his public life as a Lutheran minister enmeshed in radical liberal politics until he decisively broke with the left over the issue of abortion in the 1970s. Through the workings of faith and reason, he eventually entered the Church in 1991 and a year later was ordained a priest in New York City by John Cardinal O'Connor.
His Catholicism was truly catholic, however, and he promoted Christian unity to address social problems in the United States; most effectively in uniting Catholics and Evangelicals to defend life in a culture of death. He also was a keen promoter of Christian unity worldwide, especially at the crossroads of Catholicism and Orthodoxy which makes Ukraine the epicenter of ecumenical efforts to re-unite the Churches of the East and West. A staunch supporter of the cause of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), several years ago he traveled to Lviv to visit the Ukrainian Catholic University, engage in fruitful discussions with UCU’s leading lights, and meet with Church leaders at a synod of the UGCC.
As in so many things, Father Neuhaus’ love for the Church in Ukraine continues to be shared by his friend George Weigel, a fellow member of the UCEF’s Advisory Council. They are just two examples of the many non-Ukrainian Catholics who have been attracted to support UCU and the Church in Ukraine through the efforts of the UCEF.
Father Neuhaus had agreed to proclaim the good work of the UCEF at the New York City fundraiser for UCU last November. “I look forward to supporting the noble enterprise that is UCU,” he told us, “and being with Father [Borys] Gudziak [rector of UCU] again.”
His anticipated appearance generated a buzz among the Big Apple’s Ukrainian Catholic community, as well as the Roman Catholic community he served.
“Having Father Neuhaus come to speak in support of UCU is somewhat of a coup in light of his prominence in the worldwide Catholic community,” proclaimed Andrew Lencyk, co-chairman of the New York Friends of the Ukrainian Catholic University. “Ukrainians in general, Ukrainian Catholics in particular, can take great comfort in the support of such highly influential Catholic thinkers such as Father Neuhaus and George Weigel: men who so strongly support the renaissance of the Church in Ukraine and realize its significance.”
His appearance was not to be, however. The night before the fundraiser, his secretary called to extend Father Neuhaus' regrets that a festering illness had abruptly taken a turn for the worst. Soon thereafter, he was diagnosed with cancer. His last public appearance was a visibly painful concelebration of the funeral Mass of his great friend and fellow theologian, Avery Cardinal Dulles. Three weeks later, he died at the age of 72, having brought the light of the Gospel to the world of public life and private faith.
Requiescat in pace, Father Neuhaus, and thank you.
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