“I BELONG here. I’ll die here. I’ll be buried here at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches,” said Father James Reuter, SJ, in one of his many interviews almost two decades ago.

On December 31, 2012, the American Jesuit priest—loved and revered by countless Filipinos—passed away in the Philippines, his second home. He was 96.

Father Reuter succumbed peacefully to heart and lung failure at the Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Parañaque City, four days after falling unconscious. The hospital served as the priest’s home for three years when became too ill to work.

It was the Ateneo de Manila University—the Jesuit school, residence and community where Father Reuter served and taught—that announced his passing.

From Tuesday to Thursday, the wake for the well-loved priest was held at the Chapel of the Crucified Christ at St. Paul University in Manila, where (when it was still known as St. Paul College of Manila) he had served as chaplain. In those years, Fr. Reuter and the teachers and management of SPC (a project of the Philippine Province of the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres), produced and dozens of plays, starring St. Paul students, from the kindergarten to the college level, and sometimes involving virtually the entire primary and a goodly part of the elementary, high school population.

In the days of the wake at St. Paul, hundreds of families whose children and pater et mater familias had been mentored by Father Reuter, went to pray and paid their respects. Many of the St. Paul alumnae who had been attending SPC reunions had been more or less in touch with Fr. Reuter through the years. But it was only at Fr. Reuter’s wake that many of the St. Paul Kindergarten boys found themselves having a brief reunion at the St. Paul chapel and outside where they had once been boys in short pants.

On Friday, Fr. Reuters wake as at the Church of the Gesu at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.

On Saturday morning, an interment Mass was heard at Gesu Church before the funeral cortege for Father Reuter motored to Novaliches. There, at the Jesuit cemetery beside the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, he was laid to rest.

Father Reuter is now reunited with God for he has fulfilled his mission on earth. He has finally left the Philippines after more than 70 years of touching and inspiring generations of Filipinos, but will forever be remembered.

“His death this week was God’s summons that he had done his duty and more in life, and that it was time to join a higher calling, fulfilled and rested. We see many who will take his place, inspired and influenced by Father Reuter,” said Ma. Isabel “Maribel” Ongpin on “Ambient Voices” in her column for The Manila Times on Friday (Read sidebar). Ongpin was a student and lifetime friend of Father Reuter.

God’s servant
Father Reuter was a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was born on May 21, 1916. At only seven years old, he decided to begin a missionary life to help and serve those in need.

Pursuing this path, Reuter studied at St. Peter’s Preparatory School in the nearby Jersey City. Upon graduation when he was 18 years old, he entered the congregation of the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.

Four years later, Reuter was sent to the Philippines as a Jesuit scholar to study philosophy at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches. It was on July 4, 1938, that he first set foot in the country, and it was the very day he fell in love with the Philippines and its people.

Early years
Even in his first few years in the Philippines, Father Reuter was already a committed servant to the country in many different ways.

When he was still studying in 1930s, Reuter took on teaching posts for elementary and high school students and even coached basketball teams in his free time. He also began producing popular radio programs for the Catholic Church, like the very popular The Commonweal Hour, which in its time featured the country’s newsmakers, including Ma. Guerrero, Raul Manglapus, Ricardo Puno and Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, to name a few.

During the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, Reuter was considered an enemy and imprisoned at various concentration camps. Still, the faithful man of God served daily communion, and as he was known to do, organized activities for his fellow prisoners to help them through the ordeal.

After the fall of the Japanese, Reuter returned to the United States. It was there, in 1946, that he was finally ordained along with other Jesuits seminarians who were also imprisoned in the Philippines. On June 23, he celebrated his first mass at St. Mary’s in Elizabeth.

Two years later, Father Reuter returned to the Philippines as priest for his first assignment. It was then the Jesuit priest began a new mission in the country—creating, staging and popularizing theatrical plays and musicals.

His notable feat those days included founding the traveling theatrical company, the Cathedral Players, and writing and producing a play in commemoration of St. Francis Xavier’s 400th death anniversary. His countless contributions to the performing arts are lauded to this very day, especially by the young actors who were fortunate enough to work with him.

The ‘communicator’
Father Reuter’s roles in the Philippines grew more significant through time as “communicator” priest. He utilized radio, television and print to spread the word of the Lord. He set up media studios in his residence at Xavier House in Santa Ana, and also taught other Jesuits priests to use these tools for apostolic work.

He had a spiritual and apostolic reason to be very active in media for he the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media (ECSCMM). Today that CBCP Commission is now headed by Bishop Bernardino Cortez, chairman, and Bishop Jacinto Jose, vice-chairman. The executive secretary (the position Fr. Reuter had held until he retired) is Rev. Fr. Francis Lucas. This office should not be confused with CBCP’s Media Office headed by Monsignor Pedro Quitorio. (Editor’s note: The offices of Mons. Quitorio and Fr. Lucas are partners of The Manila Times in producing Spirituality Times).

Fr. Reuter also served as director of the Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas in the 1960s until Martial Law erupted, and media outlets were shut down, including Veritas.

Despite the news blackout, Father Reuter found a way to keep Filipinos informed on what was happening through an underground radio station he called “Radyo Bandido.” For bravely broadcasting on air the regime’s brutalities, Father Reuter was arrested. He was put on trial for subversion, inciting to rebellion, along with dozens of other charges.

It was only because Reuter was known and respected in the international community that then President Ferninand Marcos gave him amnesty. Nevertheless, his work continued and Radio Bandido, whose chief anchor and broadcaster was June Kiethley-Castro, became pivotal in the ensuing 1986 People Power Revolution.

Father Reuter’s active service through media continued throughout his life in the Philippines. Despite old age, he still managed to write his column for a major daily.

Recognitions and awards
One of the most memorable recognitions Father Reuter received for his work was in 1981, during Pope John Paul II’s visit to the country. The Holy See gave him a special award for his faithful and courageous contribution in upholding truth, justice and integrity in the Catholic Communications.

Then in 1989, Father Reuter was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. He was cited as a priest who employed “his gifts as writer, theatrical director and broadcaster, and most of all as teacher, to make the performing arts and mass media a vital force for good in the Philippines.”

In 2006, Father Reuter was granted honorary Filipino citizenship by the Philippine Congress.
It was the Catholic Church’s turn to distinguish him in 2009 through the Serviam Award.

His final recognition came from President Benigno Aquino 3rd in 2011 when he was conferred the Philippine Legion of Honor with the rank of chief commander. This is the highest honor that the President can give an individual without the Congress having to pass a law.

Below is a very few of the very many outstanding Filipinos (some of whom passed away before Fr. Reuter) who have acknowledged their debt of gratitude to Fr. Reuter—for his counsel, his friendship, the inspiration he gave and his mentoring, all of which made a difference in their lives: Antonio Mercado, Monina Allarey Mercado, Cecile Gudote, Nestor Torre, Casto Madamba, Remy Madamba, Jenina Bas Pendry, Celeste Legaspi, Sonio Roco, June Keithley-Castro, Nestor Torre.

SOURCE: CBCP NEWS