R.I.P. Rev. Peter Gomes

I was saddened to learn that Rev. Peter J. Gomes--a prominent preacher, professor, and theologian, and one of the more memorable characters from my college days--died on Monday night from a brain aneurysm and heart attack. Rev. Gomes was a great speaker, a brilliant academic, and the rare witty and humble preacher. On the merits of his voice alone, he was the type of man whom you simply couldn't forget meeting, even if the meeting was only brief.

Widely regarded as one of America’s leading preachers, Gomes participated in the inaugurations of Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He was named Clergy of the Year by the organization Religion in American Life in 1998; in 1979 Time magazine called him “one of the seven most distinguished preachers in America.” He received 39 honorary degrees and was an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss,” said Harvard President Drew Faust. “Peter Gomes was an original. For 40 years, he has served Harvard as a teacher in the fullest sense — a scholar, a mentor, one of the great preachers of our generation, and a living symbol of courage and conviction. Through his wisdom and appreciation of the richness of the human spirit Reverend Gomes has left an indelible mark on the institution he served with unmatched devotion and creativity. He will be sorely missed.”

“No one epitomizes all that is good about Harvard more than Peter J. Gomes,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard’s Alphonse Fletcher University Professor. The pair met in 1991 when Gomes was part of a recruiting committee that helped to bring Gates to the University. Gates quipped it was “love at first sight,” and said Gomes had been a loyal friend and adviser for 20 years.

For a jaded Catholic like myself, Rev. Gomes' somewhat irreverent take on modern religion was a breath of fresh air, and an affirmation of what religion and faith can and should be. I was therefore glad to have been directed to this clip from the Colbert Report, which does a pretty fair job of showing Rev. Gomes in his element. It's rare for a religious man to out-funny Stephen Colbert, but I think our man might just have pulled it off.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Peter J. Gomes
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

R.I.P.

[Harvard Gazette]