December 6, 2016: About Dr John Ruef

It is December 6, 2016 and I see I am 'way behind in adding anything to my blog-site.  Today, at a luncheon for retired clergy here in the Diocese of Oregon, a colleague mentioned his blog and that got me to think about my neglected one that I think I started around 2008 or 2009.  Btw, Steve Norcross is an excellent writer, and I'll ask his permission soon to incorporate it here so that others may enjoy his writing.

But for me, at present, I'm preparing for our annual Advent/Christmas letter to our family and friends.  Sad to say, the list grows shorter with deaths, and each time news of someone's death reaches us, I go to the Christmas card list and delete their names.  I find that very sad, but know that death is inevitable and many I know have, as we sometimes say, "died a good death."

It is about one recent death - and his life - that I want to say something about herein.  Our clergy pension group sends out a "necrology" (a list of those who've died) each month to fellow pensioners.  Espying names of clerics I've known, some rather well, on that list comes as a shock.  And the death of my seminary New Testament professor, John Ruef, came as a shock, but no surprise; he had been quite ill and in a nursing home these past few months.

I've had the joy and pleasure of keeping in touch with Dr Ruef through the years, ever since I was graduated from Berkeley Divinity School in New Haven in 1970.  Not only was he my "NT Prof" but was our neighbor on Mansfield Street, right by the "Yale Whale," a euphemism for the Ingalls Hockey Rink.  He also consented to travel out to the plains of Kansas to preach for my ordination to the Priesthood nearly forty-six years ago this very month.

We met up from time to time at various Episcopal Church functions, and it was always fun to see him again and talk with him.  He would always have some pithy comment to make, often in a sarcastic vein.  One time I saw him at a Trinity Institute conference in New York City when he lived and worked in Buffalo, the see city of the Diocese of Western New York.  I asked him what his impression was of a foreign Roman Catholic prelate who addressed the conference.  "Well," he said, "When you dress up Billy Graham in lace, what do you have?"  I blushed and probably mumbled something like, "Huh?"  His reply: "In other words, I was disappointed."  That seemed to clarify things.

Later, he became Dean of Nashotah House, one of the Episcopal Church's seminaries, located in a rural area near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I visited there to do some continuing education and, as Dr Ruef put it, to have "a little 'R and R.'"  These three visits each were singularly stimulating and enlightening for me and could be the subject of another blog entry some time.  One of these, in 1978, took place when Michael Ramsey, the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, was in residence at "The House," teaching theology and being available for the faculty and students as a colleague and friend.  A walk that I took around one of the lakes on the seminary's property, with the good Bishop and a student assigned to help him not to trip (Bishop Michael's eyesight was waning), was memorable.  Bishop Michael had remarked how his chaplain was "such a name-dropper."  Said I, "But, Bishop, I'll drop your name once I get home."  He: "Yes, yes; but just once!"

I see that I never finished this post - it is now December 8, a few days later than when I started.  Pressed for time at present, I'll continue the thoughts I put down here some other time.  Suffice it to say, I miss John Ruef dearly.  I've heard from his widow, Jane, a singularly wonderful and beautiful woman, right after his funeral which took place November 29th in Chatham, Virginia, where they had lived for about thirty-one years.  John was Chaplain and Teacher at Chatham Hall there, then retired, having the care of Emmanuel Church, Chatham, and small missions in Gretna and other towns nearby.

There will be more later on.  Meanwhile, blessings to the readers of this and wish me luck keeping it up in the future!