'Rosary priest' Reuter dies at 96

MANILA, Philippines - A former Philippine Star columnist known for his promotion of the "Family Rosary Crusade," Father James B. Reuter passed away due to  lung and heart failure on Monday. He was 96.

 

An American Jesuit priest and Ateneo de Manila University educator, Reuter died at 12:51 p.m. at the Our Lady of Peace Hospital in Paranaque City, where he stayed since 2009.

 

Reuter, known for his column "3 AM" which concluded that same year, continued to be vocal about pressing issues in the country even when he was confined in a wheelchair and frequented the hospital in the past few years.

 

“The Filipinos, and God forgive me for saying this, are the most lovable people in the world. Whenever you come to the Philippines, the first thing you notice is that (the people) are smiling,” Reuter told reporters after his 94th birthday celebration in 2010.

 

He settled in the Philippines in 1938 as a 22-year-old seminarian and went on to appear on radio and television as a talk show host and spiritual guide.

 

Pilipino Star Ngayon columnist Cielito del Mundo called Reuter "more than a Filipino" for his various contributions in the field of mass media in the country even when he was initially denied of Filipino citizenship on the grounds of being "an undesirable alien."

 

The priest, called "Father Jim" by his friends, was a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1986 and was granted by both houses of Congress with an honorary Filipino citizenship in 2006. Read more about the life of Fr. James Reuter on Philstar.com