Progressive priest was author, professor and feminist
A “faithful servant of God” and “brilliant man” to friends and colleagues, the Rev. Eugene F. Lauer was an academic and author who taught at some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
The theologian who wasn’t afraid to espouse progressive views about the Catholic Church died Sunday, a day after he suffered a stroke. Sunday also marked the 57th anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood, and it was Pentecost Sunday, one of his favorite church feast days.
Among those at his bedside was his friend, Sister Ellen Rufft, 80, of the Assumption Convent in Bellevue.
“He was my best friend for almost 50 years,” she said. “And he was the most loved priestyou can imagine.”
The 82-year-old priest had been living at Prince of Peace Parish on the South Side since his retirement in 2009, though for Father Lauer, retirement didn’t mean he stopped working.
In 2014, he authored his fourth and final book, and he often could be found officiating at services in the area or hosting conferences or retreats.
“He was very active, doing a lot of filling in at different parishes,” said his niece, Judy Fisher of Greenfield. “He basically went all over, doing various Masses, and he was often requested for weddings and funerals.”
The past several years had been a homecoming for Father Lauer, who was born in Homewood to the late Joseph A. and Mary M. Gelata Lauer.
He graduated from the former St. Fidelis Seminary High School in Summit, Butler County, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College in 1957. In 1961, he received a licentiate degree in sacred theology from St. Mary’s Seminary and the University in Baltimore, followed by a doctorate in sacred theology in 1966 from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
His brother, J. Henry “Hank” Lauer, 84, of Penn Hills, said he could never remember a time when Father Lauer — whom he called “Geno” — didn’t want to be a priest.
“It did not seem to just come upon him one day to become a priest,” he said. “It seemed like he always wanted to.”
Over the course of his career, Father Lauer taught at La Roche College, Duquesne University, Seton Hill College, Wheeling Jesuit University, the Catholic University of America and the University of Notre Dame.
He also served as director of the National Pastoral Life Center in New York City and headed the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
Father Lauer spoke frequently about the increasing role of lay ministers and the shortage of priests, which he felt was due to celibacy rules. He also lectured, wrote numerous articles and spoke about the relationship between theology and pastoral ministry.
And, perhaps surprisingly to some, he was an avowed feminist and held other progressive views, Sister Rufft said.
“He read books about feminism and he was very happy to announce to people that he was a feminist,” she said. “He thought women should definitely be priests.”
The two became fast friends over some of Father Lauer’s hilarious stories, such as the time he sneaked into a meeting at the Second Vatican Council while attending the Gregorian University in the 1960s.
The rare ecumenical meeting brought together heads of the Catholic Church to discuss relations with the outside world and enact major reforms.
“He snuck into the council and loved to talk about how he was there to see the conversations of the bishops and everybody,” Sister Rufft said. “He used to say, ‘Who else can say they snuck into the Vatican Council?’”
Though he was a learned and bright scholar, Father Lauer was never prickly or arrogant, said friends and colleagues.
“He was a great priest,” said the Rev. Mark Eckman, vicar for clergy personnel at the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. “He was a brilliant man who brought everything down to earth.”
“He was a fun person,” Sister Rufft said. “He had a great sense of humor and he was a great storyteller. I don’t know anybody who didn’t like him.”
“He was just very friendly, very personable and very warm,” Ms. Fisher said. “You could tell when you talked to him, he was genuinely interested in what you were saying.”
Hank Lauer often bragged about his baby brother, he said, and is devastated by his loss.
“I think of him every day of my life — always,” he said. “He is my world.”
Sister Rufft, too, was emotional at the loss of her friend. For years, the pair took turns calling each other every night to share their day.
“He was the most faithful friend a person could have,” she said. “I don’t want to think about living without him, frankly. But, in spite of the pain of the loss, I want to be happy that he died in a way that wasn’t painful or violent.”
Visitation will be from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, 121 Dawn Drive, Verona, followed by the funeral Mass. Burial will be in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Penn Hills.