PAZ & Friends: January 2009 Archives

Today is a red letter day in history with the birthday of Sister Jeanne Marie Vonder Haar, an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a dear friend.

Like many of the Apostles I know, Sister Jeanne Marie lives the order's motto: the Love of Christ Urges us.... A striking example of this is Sister Jeanne Marie's dedication (for decades) to the formation of young people in the obedience of elementary education. The companionship she shares was also striking today at a funeral of the father of one of the Apostles: nearly 75 of the sisters were present offer their sympathies and prayerful solidarity to Sister Barbara Matazaro and family. (Sr. Jeanne Marie is in the centerof the photo).

On January 9th Archimandrite Robert F. Taft, SJ celebrated his 77th birthday. May God grant him abundant blessings in the coming year.

Father Taft is the reason I am interested in the Eastern Churches and the study of the sacred Liturgy. He's a former professor of mine and continues to be a friend.

BTW, he's delivering the Schmemann Lecture at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary on January 30th at 7:30 pm. For more info see the website.

Before 10 a.m. this morning Father Richard John Neuhaus, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, died. Jody Bottom made the announcement on the First Things website.

Neuhaus' death comes nearly a month after our dear friend's death, Avery Cardinal Dulles.

May the Good Shepherd be merciful and forgive his sins and receive him into the New Jerusalem where Lazarus is poor no longer.

May Father Neuhaus' memory be eternal!

The National Review Online is reporting this afternoon that Father Richard John Neuhaus received the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick at the hand of Father George Rutler last night. Read the story here. I mentioned this matter a few days ago.

Father Neuhaus is the famed Editor-in-Chief of First Things and the head of the Institute on Religion and Public Life.

Kindly say a prayer for him. 

May I ask you to hold in your Masses and prayers Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and the Editor-in-Chief of First Things.

Fr. Neuhaus is in the hospital in New York. Over Thanksgiving, he was diagnosed with a serious cancer. The long-term prognosis for this particular cancer is not good, but it is not hopeless, either, and there is a possibility that it will respond to the recommended out-patient chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, over Christmas, he was taken dangerously ill with what seems to be a systemic infection that has left him very weak. Entering the hospital the day after Christmas, he was sedated to lower an elevated heart rate and treatment was begun for the infection. Over the last few days, he has shown some signs of improvement, and there is a reasonable expectation that he will recover from this present illness--sufficiently, we hope, that he will be able to begin the chemotherapy for the cancer.

Fr. Neuhaus is not able at the moment to receive visitors or speak on the telephone or answer his mail, and he has requested that no flowers, candy, or other get-well presents be sent--just your prayers for his quick recovery.