In Memory of Richard John Neuhaus

2010 Archive

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus Richard John Neuhaus
1936 - 2009

Richard John Neuhaus, our dear friend, has returned to the Lord he served so faithfully and staunchly in the public square.

The need and legitimacy of a Christian presence and voice in the “public square” was a constant theme of Neuhaus, really his signature work: few do not know of his book The Naked Public Square, and in his monthly commentary in First Things, he continually underscored the urgency of never allowing the expression of religion to be marginalized from public discourse. His final testament really is that people of faith have the right, as much as anyone, to shape our moral discourse and affect the outcome of the many issues that face our society.

Father Neuhaus influenced policy vertex to base, with extraordinary ease and discretion. He fought to the very end against the societal notion that deliberately excluded and actively ignored the moral commitments of the majority of its citizens —from policy decisions up to and including his final essay on abortion. In fact, it was abortion that refocused his heart and intellect towards cultural conservatism. He is without question the peerless intellectual architect of the pro-life movement defending the right to life a full decade before Roe v. Wade. Fittingly, his final essay is on the same topic.

He was a prolific writer, and a grateful people will be able to draw upon his wisdom for decades. Even approaching death, his last entry in his signature editorial The Public Square is full of comfort for those he would be leaving and a lively and energetic faith for the One he knew he would finally meet face to face:

“… Be assured that I neither fear to die nor refuse to live. If it is to die, all that has been is but a slight intimation of what is to be. If it is to live, there is much that I hope to do in the interim… Who knew that at this point in life I would be understanding, as if for the first time, the words of Paul, “When I am weak, then I am strong”? This is not a farewell. Please God, we will be pondering together the follies and splendors of the Church and the world for years to come. But maybe not…The entirety of our prayer is “Your will be done”—not as a note of resignation but of desire beyond expression. To that end, I commend myself to your intercession, and that of all the saints and angels who accompany us each step through time toward home.”

May Richard John Neuhaus, priest of the Archdiocese of New York, founder of First Things and tireless advocate for the Truth hear the words all persons of faith long to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant…”

External Links:

Statement of President George W. Bush

From Joseph Bottum at First Things

Joseph Bottum, The Weekly Standard

From Peter Werner at National Review Online

George Weigel, Newsweek

National Review Online

Statement of House Republican Leader John Boehner

Statement of Senator Sam Brownback

Associated Press

Laurie Goodstein, New York Times

Raymond Arroyo, Wall Street Journal