The American Spectator

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Summing Up a Great Man's Life

By Hunter Baker on 1.9.09 @ 12:55PM

I wrote it in this space already.  Richard John Neuhaus is dead.  We've lost some big ones in the last year.  Many of you will not realize how big this one was.  I pray Jody Bottum and some of the others in the First Things (Neuhaus' hugely influential journal) world can carry on his legacy.  Though Neuhaus' death leaves a chasm to be filled, I think Dr. Bottum is the right man for it. 

Anthony Sacramone is a former managing editor of First Things.  He is also one of my favorite writers.  So, I'm happy to bring you his wonderful tribute to Neuhaus.  Here's a taste:

Woody Allen said that 90% of life is just showing up. Richard John Neuhaus showed up. Whether it was at civil-rights marches in the 1960s or pro-life marches of the 1980s, Richard John Neuhaus showed up. Whether it was at the altar as a parish priest or at the bedside of a dying friend, Richard John Neuhaus showed up. As writer, lecturer, editor, raconteur, counselor, teacher — Richard John Neuhaus showed up. Every day. Until today.

And by the way, the New York Times didn't do badly, either.  I give them credit, particularly since Father Neuhaus spent part of his last column writing about how his desire to read the NYT had continued to slip.