Father Benedict Groeschel. Credit: EWTN.

This is my fond memory of Fr. Groeschel.  He was a mensch.

via Fr. Benedict Groeschel passes away at 81 :: EWTN News.

Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, author, former EWTN host, and one of the founders of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, passed away at 11:00 p.m. on Oct. 3. He was 81 years old.

“The Catholic Church and the Franciscan family lost a giant today,” the friars said in an Oct. 4 statement, expressing deep sadness at Fr. Groeschel’s loss as well as relief “that God has set him free from the physical and mental suffering he has experienced over the past decade.”

Fr. Groeschel was one of eight Capuchin friars in New York City who helped found the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in 1987. The community is committed to poverty and evangelization.

Known for his love of the poor, he founded the St. Francis House for the homeless and Good Counsel Homes for pregnant women in crisis. He also directed Trinity Retreat House in Larchmont, New York, and taught at the Dunwoodie seminary.

In addition, he became known as an author and preacher. For more than 25 years, he appeared on EWTN, hosting “Sunday Night: Live with Father Benedict Groeschel,” among other programs.

“The world knew Father Benedict as a priest, teacher, evangelist, retreat master, and a steadfast defender of and advocate for the Catholic Church that he loved so much,” the friars said, adding that while his religious family saw these traits, “we were also blessed to know him as a father who cared for each of us, a father who was always accessible when we needed him and always glad to see us when we came to visit.”

“Fr. Benedict was a brother and a father to everyone he encountered,” the friars continued. “In a world often overwhelmed with darkness, he was a man filled with hope, a hope that he shared with both the rich and poor alike.”

via Fr. Benedict Groeschel passes away at 81 :: EWTN News.