The Christian world has lost a true and noble friend.  Father Richard John Neuhaus, 72, died on January 8th, from complications of cancer. A leading public intellectual, Fr. Neuhaus was the founder and editor-in-chief of the journal, “First Things” and co-founder (with Chuck Colson) of the ecumenical forum, “Catholics and Evangelicals Together.”

His most influential book was The Naked Public Square, in which he contended that banishing religion from the debate of American public life amounted to excluding the voices of millions of Americans.  Particularly in his popular monthly Public Square column, he carried on a brilliant engagement with all comers, a living out of his lifelong attempt to teach religious people how to bring their convictions to bear with people with whom they disagree.  As a man of very deep faith, prayer, and devotion, Fr. Neuhaus lived his life as a witness to the truth, and he knew that God would take care of the rest.

After he almost died in the mid-90s, Neuhaus wrote, As I Lay Dying: Meditations upon Returning, a very honest yet hopeful reflection on his own experience.  There he writes, “We are born to die.  Not that death is the purpose of our being born, but we are born toward death, and in each of us the work of dying is already underway. The work of dying well is, in largest part, the work of living well.”

Fr. Neuhaus supported the work of the C.S. Lewis Foundation which shares many of his core principles.  He participated as a plenary speaker in the Summer Institutes of 1988 (”The Naked University”) and 1998 (”The Politics of C.S. Lewis”).  These outstanding lectures are available for purchase in CD format for $8.00 each + tax (within California) + $2.00 (S/H within the U.S.).  If interested, simply contact us here.

Tags: C.S. Lewis, Fr. Neuhaus, Oxbridge, Richard John Neuhaus, Scholar, Summer Institute

A new exhibition of the paintings of Bruce Herman, one of our faculty from Oxbridge 2008 and Williams 2006, is set to show at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, beginning next week.  Here is some information from the Westmont College website:

A new exhibition by painter Bruce Herman, “Miriam - Virgin Mother,” explores the subject of the Virgin Mary, a figure of some controversy in the history of the Christian church. The exhibit opens with a reception Thursday, Jan. 15, 4-6 p.m. in Reynolds Gallery and includes a lecture by the artist at 5:30 p.m.

Herman, who holds the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in the Fine Arts at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., looks at the traditions of Mary through the lens of contemporary art. His work often depicts detailed figures that merge into abstract, textural backgrounds and includes triptychs over eight feet tall and 13 feet wide. He builds and scrapes away layers of gold leaf and oil paint creating images that span the gap between new and ancient art-making practices.

Herman’s work can be seen in collections around the world, including the Armand Hammer Grunewald Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art in Rome.

Highlights of the exhibition include two large triptychs depicting scenes in the life of Mary. After leaving Westmont, one of these will be permanently installed at the Monastery of San Paolo in Orvieto, Italy.

Reynolds Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. For directions to campus, visit the college’s Web site at www.westmont.edu. For more information, contact (805) 565-7140.

The exhibition opened at Gordon College November 22 - December 18th (‘08).  It will end in Orvieto, Italy in early June with a celebration date of June 14th, during which the paintings will be semi-permanently installed at the Monastery San Paolo there.

Please also visit Bruce Herman’s website for more information.

Tags: Bruce Herman, Italy, Orvieto, painting, Virgin Mary, Westmont College