Memories of A Giant: Fr. Benedict Groeschel

I am really shaken right now.

One of the modern day unsung saints of our times has just passed away.  Fr. Benedict Groeschel, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, author of dozens of books, television and radio host, commentator, and public speaker has passed away last night from an undisclosed illness.  He was 81.

I first became aware of him in my college years, as I was considering joining the Catholic Church.  He had just started a community that was an attempt to revitalize the Franciscan and Capuchin Orders, under the patronage of John Cardinal O’Connor.  The “Franciscan Friars of the Renewal” perched themselves in the slums of the Bronx, and later found themselves throughout all the parts of the world.

One of the leaders of the college group I had been a part of, University Christian Outreach, felt a calling to leave the Brotherhood of Hope (itself a dynamic order of Catholic brothers and priests), to join with this group, hosting Youth 2000 conferences, and feeding the impoverished.  He was to be my spiritual director for five years.  (Also, a fellow friend had followed suit).

Some of the Ministries He Helped Begin

Years later, I heard that the Catholic Evidence Guild had begun again, this time meeting once every two weeks at Dunwoodie Seminary in Yonkers.  I lived close enough to that seminary that I was able to make meetings and grow in my faith.  Who was the person who started it?  That’s right, Fr. Benedict Groeschel.

There was another time for which I was invited to help out for a Youth 2000 event.  While he was not there, it was run expediently by these towering men in grey outfits, and non-shaved, bushy beards.  This was in Queens, NY, and was a powerful Eucharistic-centric experience for which lives were changed.

There was another time when I was invited to help out restoring a building that was going to be used to assist the poor, in the middle of the Bronx.  It was a tough, hard working day, for which these friars were on top of the effort, not complaining about the humidity or the tough conditions.  It was extremely inspiring.

Another ministry that started under Fr. Groeschel: Catholic Underground.  This was a youth-oriented coffeehouse event which began with a Holy Hour, and ended with a basement concert.  It began in the Bronx, underneath fellow Friar Fr. Stan Fortuna, and has since expanded throughout the Northeast.  I had been invited to a few of these coffeehouses to perform, and I have never been more impressed with the simple plan for an average parish to make this work.

His Gift of Communicating the Gospel

I have had the opportunity to meet with Fr. Groeschel several times, and hear him speak.  I cannot emphasize enough how erudite he was, how knowledgeable he was, but also… extremely approachable and warm.  This humble priest didn’t have a single bad bone in his body.  He was funny in his relaxed, Bronx-like demeanor, sharing profound insights about his love of St. Augustine, Francis, and a fellow priest, Fr. Solonus Casey, for whom he had spearheaded a campaign for his canonization.

He was so well liked that at one point, he was gifted an extremely nice mansion in New Rochelle, NY, by the archdiocese.  He proceeded to move his belongings in the garage, where he slept.  (He used the facility for retreats, and for a home for dozens of cats).

About 10 years ago, his already frail frame was hit by a vehicle as he was leaving the airport.  He was on life support, but he pulled through.  When I saw him speak afterwards, I sensed a difference.  He was still warm, and he still retained all his knowledge, but this time there was an urgency about him, a sense that he knew his days were numbered, and there was an imperative to really share the gospel.

The Off-the-Cuff Anecdote that Ended Him

And now, the most difficult part of my recollection.

About two years ago, he casually remarked in an interview that, in some rare cases, the teenagers themselves had seduced the priests.  No question, it is universally accepted that this was a callous, offensive remark that was not typical of his normal commentary.  Shortly afterwards, there was an outcry, as in this case it appeared he was blaming the victim for the scandals that had come to light twelve years ago.  One particular Catholic responded with “Who is this guy? I’ve never heard of him! He’s to be excommunicated!” Even this past week, I was drawn to an article that condemned his entire ministry, all due to this horrible anecdote, shared without any understanding of the following repercussions.

What is bizarre to me is that these same outraged people have never done a fraction of what he had done to help the poor, to assist other priests, to carry on the New Evangelization, in a single year, and he had been at this for nearly three decades.  This was due to a universally acknowledged heinous statement for which had since apologized for, repeatedly.  And yet a number of secular radio talk show pundits still have jobs today for far worse infractions.

Nonetheless, he stepped down from public speaking soon afterwards, with Fr. Andrew Apostoli taking over his EWTN show “Sunday Night Live.”  He spent the last two years being sustained by his community, which to this day has fed, clothed and housed thousands of the poor.

Concluding Thoughts

At a time where the priesthood has taken a hit, and vocations had undergone a crisis, it is in the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and its sister organization, Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, that vocations are booming.  A non-watered down lived out faith is what is attractive to young adults today, not compromise.

I do not know of a more holy man from whom I have learned from, all these years.  May he rest in God’s glorious peace.