Reverend Andrew Greeley died at age 85 Wednesday night. He was a well-known priest, columnist and best-selling author who “enriched [people] by having his presence.” Here’s what you should know.
1. He Was a Best-Selling Author
The priest was a best selling author with Irish Love being one of his most popular, even former President Bill Clinton said it was on his vacation reading list when he was president in 1997, according to CBS News. In all he wrote 50 novels that were translated into 12 different languages.
2. He Was an Outspoken Roman Catholic Priest
He was very outspoken on the Catholic child abuse claims and criticized the church for not revealing the names of those accused. CBS News says that he also offered the Catholic Church in Chicago $1 million to make a fund to help inner city Catholic school students. Even though the church refused without explanation, there was a fund created anyway called the Catholic Inner-City School Fund. It is distributed in 80 Catholic Schools and helps around 50 percent Hispanics and black students.
3. He Suffered a Brain Injury
In November 2008 Greeley suffered a brain injury after his jacket got snagged on a taxi cab and he fell and cracked his skull, according to Andy’s Word. He was in rehabilitation for several months but never fully regained cognitive functions.
4. He Was a Chicago Sun-Times Columnist
Reverend Greeley wrote column talking about the similarities of politics and religion and explored those relationships.
5. His Friends and Family Have Paid Tribute
In a statement on Andy’s Word, his family said their lives …
have been tremendously enriched by having the presence of Fr. Andrew Greeley in our family.He served the Church all those years with a prophetic voice and with unfailing dedication, and the Church he and our parents taught us to love is a better place because of him. Our hearts are heavy with grief, but we find hope in the promise of Heaven that our uncle spent his life proclaiming to us, his friends, his parishioners and his many fans. He resides now with the Lord of the Dance, and that dance will go on.