Fr. Rutler used to be the pastor of
Church of Our Saviour, on Park Avenue in Manhattan. The parish had implemented some 'progressive' practices and Fr. Rutler brought them back to a more orthodox approach in their liturgy. While he never said so, I imagine the transition from that parish to St. Michael's, was quite painful. It was during his time at the Church of Our Saviour that he stayed by the side of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus as he passed from this life to the next.
Here is the tribute he wrote. You may recall that Fr. Neuhaus was part of the EWTN live news team that covered the election of Pope Benedict XVI.