Catholic Transcript Online

He was the moderator of "Meet the Press" and the Washington bureau chief of NBC News, and he was so much more: a man renowned for his genuineness, authenticity, and credibility. He was a man of high values, human values, Catholic values. The devoted husband of Maureen Orth and doting father of his son Luke, he exemplified the standards inculcated in him from his earliest days. He would say of his growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., that "Religion was everywhere in our lives, not just in church or in school, but at home too."

So much has been written and spoken about Tim Russert. Allow me to add a few personal reflections. He was famed for his ability to ask the penetrating questions, those which would illuminate an issue and get to the heart of the matter. I was most impressed, however, by the way he once answered a question I put to him.

I was the Bishop of Buffalo (1995 to 2003) when we decided to inaugurate an annual dinner on behalf of Catholic education. We needed a keynote speaker who would draw a crowd. Knowing how appreciative he was of his Catholic school education (Holy Family Elementary School, South Buffalo, St. Bonaventure Elementary School, West Seneca – next door to South Buffalo – Canisius High School, Buffalo, and John Carroll University, Cleveland), I decided to ask him. At the same time, I was aware of the hundreds and possibly thousands of letters he was receiving every day, so I made a telephone call directly to his office in Washington. His answer was immediate, "Let me check the calendar . . . the date is free (late January 2001) . . . I’ll be there."

We then talked a bit about things in Buffalo, but it was as simple and prompt as that. It said so much about him.

Well, he came to the dinner and was a tremendous hit. He packed the house, the largest hotel ballroom at the time in Buffalo. The receiving line provided stories and recollections that would fill books. In fact, many of them made it into his best seller, Big Russ and Me, which he published later.

Father John Sturm, S.J., who had been Prefect of Discipline when Tim was a student at Canisius, came up. Tim greeted him, "Father Sturm, do I remember you. At one time, you gave me two weeks in a row of jug (detention after school), and I said, "Father Sturm, mercy!" He answered, "Listen, Tim, you want mercy, you go to God, from me you get justice."

Later, Sister Mary Lucille Socciarelli, R.S.M., who taught Tim in the seventh and eighth grades at St. Bonaventure, came forward. He reminded her that he had been something of a cut-up in class at the time. She needed no reminding. Then he paid her a wonderful tribute by saying what a difference she made in his life. She took him aside one day and said, again as narrated later in Big Russ and Me, "Timmy, we have to find a way to channel your excessive energy. I’m starting a new school newspaper and you’re going to be the editor. You’ll be the publisher, too . . . God has blessed you with a great deal of potential. It’s up to you to turn it into something productive." Well, we know the rest of the story.

In the eighth grade, it was Sister Lucille who encouraged Tim to apply to Canisius High School. When he relayed her suggestion to his parents at home, his father said, "That’s a long way from here." It actually wasn’t geographically, but Big Russ was referring to the cost. As it turned out, Tim took the test and won a half scholarship, making the financing possible.

Tim’s address at the dinner was a rousing success, highlighted with humor, stories, and a resounding endorsement for the value of Catholic schools. At the end of the talk, he announced that he was donating two scholarships, one in honor of Father John Sturm, S.J., and the other in honor of Sister Mary Lucille Socciarelli, R.S.M., the recipients to be named by the Diocese of Buffalo.

What’s more, he said that he would do this each year for the dinners of the future. Thus, the practice began that he would videotape from his office the announcement of the scholarships to be awarded at the annual dinner.

To answer a question probably in your mind, I did invite Tim Russert twice to speak at our St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast for Catholic schools here in Hartford. Each time, however, his calendar was booked. He encouraged me to keep asking and said he would come if his schedule were free. I believed him. He was a man of integrity.

Many commentators have referenced in recent weeks the extensive preparation that Tim made for his television appearances. That was evident in his telecasts. What is also most clear, from all the testimonies that have been registered, is the fact that he was fundamentally prepared for life, and that his Catholic faith was central to his being. The everyday Catholic practices of his youth evolved into the adult faith of a practicing Catholic who was inspiration for the world.

Tim Russert, as the reward for your life and work, may you now praise God in the joy of heaven for all eternity.

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