Here are the ten greatest Catholic intellectuals in American history... [Catholic Caucus]

Ignatius Scoop.com ^ | 10-11-11 | Tom Hoopes,

[Salvation]

Here are the ten greatest Catholic intellectuals in American history...

... according to a survey of "top Catholic commentators, editors and scholars" conducted by Benedictine College's Gregorian Institute. Tom Hoopes, Vice President of College Relations and writer in residence at Benedictine College (Atchison, Kansas), writes:

 Since future categories in the Hall of Fame will recognize novelists and bishops of dioceses, nominees such as Flannery O'Connor and Archbishops James Gibbons and Charles Chaput are not included here. The work of those represented here mainly concerns the world of ideas and academic scholarship.

The Catholic Hall of Fame's Greatest American Catholic intellectuals, in the order of their birth:

   1. Orestes Brownson (1803–1876)
   2. John Courtney Murray (1904-1967)
   3. John Senior (1923-1999)
   4. Avery Dulles (1918-2008)
   5. James Schall (1928-)
   6. Ralph McInerny (1929-2010)
   7. Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009)
   8. Mary Anne Glendon (1938-)
   9. George Weigel (1951-)
  10. Robert P. George (1955-)

The inspiration for the hall of fame is the mural at Benedictine College's St. Benedict's Hall. When students walk into our major academic building, they pass through a depiction of the greatest Catholics of all time in various disciplines painted on the walls.

Read the entire post on the Gregorian Institute's site. Funny to think that just this morning I was e-mailing with Fr. James Schall about some important issues related to an essay (as he writes often for Ignatius Insight) and college football (as he's a big fan). I've read essays and columns by all of these intellectuals, but have read most deeply from works by Cardinal Dulles, Fr. Schall, Fr. Neuhaus, Weigel, and George. However, I've been reading more of Brownson lately, and am continually impressed by his writing and thinking. And John Senior's book, The Restoration of Christian Culture, is a fantastic and challenging work.

Ignatius Press, of course, has published some books by Fr. Schall, Ralph McInerny's novel, The Red Hat, Avery Cardinal Dulles' excellent History of Apologetics, and also carries several books by George Weigel, the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, Mary Anne Glendon's Traditions in Turmoil, and Cardinal Dulles' Magisterium (the latter two published by Sapientia Press).

[HerrBlucher]

Thanks for the ping. As others have said, Chesterton was not an American. Also, how much of his great work was done before becoming Catholic?

[stfassisi]

Sorry,they were not Americans

[Tax-chick]

Were those gentlemen Americans? Good gravy, my history courses left me very confused!

[stfassisi]

see post 22 and apology

[Tax-chick]

40 seconds too late for me ;-).

Putting aside the issue of America, I’d be hard-pressed to put St. Francis of Assisi on a list of great *intellectuals*. And I doubt he’d want to be there: it wasn’t his charism.

[Verginius Rufus]

They will have a separate list recognizing bishops—Fulton Sheen was a bishop later on (not at the time of his greatest public acclaim when he was a monsignor).

[Steelfish]

I think the reference was to those in “American” history. Otherwise, we’d have Hillaire Belloc as well.

[Salvation]

Great research, thanks.

[Jo Nuvark]

Chesterston influenced American Catholics.
I didn’t read it to mean candidates had to
be American born. But these days there are
serious consequences should one fail to define
meanings. We could end up with a foreign
Presdient, say from Kenya or Indonesia.

/sarc

[Salvation]

**Benedictine College (Atchison, Kansas), **

My brother who was very liberal graduated from there. Maybe that is the reason this would not be our conservative list.

[sayuncledave]

I would have had Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and Dietrich Von Hildebrand, who, as I recall, did end life with American citizenship, and was truly one of the greats. In all honesty, while I wouldn’t cast aspersions necessarily, I would not have placed Mr. Weigel on a list of this sort. I completely agree with you about His Holiness.

[Tax-chick]

Chesterton influenced American Catholics.

So did Pope John Paul II.

If we start with that reasoning, we end up with Osama bin Laden as a great Islamic intellectual in American history.

[nickcarraway]

George Weigel?? You’ve got to be kidding me!

[Salvation]

You aren’t the only one who is questioning that name!! LOL!

[Cicero]

It says that bishops were omitted, because they will be on a later group. Fulton Sheen was a bishop.

[SamuraiScot]

Fr. George Rutler. Brilliant preacher, tremendous network of influence. Did the show This Is Our Faith on EWTN for years, now a pastor at Our Saviour in NYC. Has written the "Cloud of Witnesses" column for decades. Both an erudite wit and friend of Buckley, Weigel, and just about everyone else, but also a friend of blue-collar Catholics who dines with cops and NY firemen. He was valiant on 9-11, staying by the WTC while flaming s#$% was still coming down from the sky so he could give absolution to the firemen going into the buildings. Bigger footprint on orthodox Catholic thinking today than some of the more "writerly" types, and more intellectual breadth and power than most of them.

If you sign up (free) at Our Saviour's Web site, you can listen to the archive of his homilies. Any Sunday's will give you intellectual food for months. His annual 3-hour Good Friday meditation is not to be missed.

[stfassisi]

St. Francis of Assisi on a list of great *intellectuals*. And I doubt he’d want to be there: it wasn’t his charism.

Intellectualism would never be anything a Saint would want to strive for anyway

[nickcarraway]

In my opinion this is a terrible list, mostly focused on the 80s or so, and Pope John Paul II. John Courtney Murray was definitely not admirable. There were Catholic intellectuals before the 60s. This list only contains 1 whose heyday was before that.

[Sursum Corda]

This is a good list. The preamble, which mentions former Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput gives me pause.

While serving as Denver Archbishop, he wrote well and spoke well, mainly while away from Denver.

In honesty, how do we judge a level of Catholic intellectualism? Is it solely a measure of birthing some very fine ideas, or does it require more than that, a track record of also acting on them?

Bishop Sheen and Archbishop Chaput had/have leadership roles, not just that of putting pen to paper. I will let others speak about Bishop Sheen. As a member of the Archdiocese of Denver, I respect our former Archbishop, but he was ofttimes timid at home.

He did not address the failings of Colorado Catholic politicians in the realm of Catholic moral teaching in a clear manner and he was, at times, a bully of orthodox Catholics who were not willing to play “Cumbria” with the PC crowd. Unfortunately, he would, on occasion, succumb to a less than intellectually honest placation of these same people.

I have spoken to him face to face, as well as corresponding with him via email. He is dynamic, but IMO, he is less than willing to take on the very difficult and challenging one on one battles with the worldly ‘Catholic’ politicians.

As to illegal immigration, don’t even go there. You would not like what are the facts on the ground about this issue, under his leadership in Denver.

In reality, I hope the Archbishop changes and becomes a shining light for firm, but charitable, Catholic teaching. A this present moment, the final results are still in doubt.

Sursum Corda

[Mmmike]

I'm surprised William Buckley and Fr. George Rutler did not make their list.

Also, if it were me I'd have in some way paid tribute to the Catholic side of the southern agrarian and distributist movements. (Granted, the latter is less-than-overwhelmingly American). If anything, I think their list is a bit top-heavy on the comfortably numb First Things neoconservatives.