Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009
By Joseph Bottum
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 10:00 AM
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.
Please accept our thanks for all your prayers and good wishes. I
n Deepest Sorrow,
Joseph Bottum
Editor First Things
I was saddened to hear of the passing of this great man. Two days ago I recieved his watershed work, The Naked Public Square, a book that defined a generation of evangelical engagement in the political sphere. I was fortunate enough to hear this man speak once, and upon reflection, I can only mourn the loss of a brilliant mind and passionate heart. Men like Richard John Neuhaus do not come along every day, and we have not only lost a champion of orthodoxy, but a man whom we would all do well to imitate in thought and deed.
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