As an undergraduate at Harvard, Avery Dulles read his way into Catholicism. Embarking on a quest for meaning, he found his answer in the writings of Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand who affirmed the power of reason together with the need for authority to provide direction in the search for truth.

Dulles had great confidence in the ability of the mind to know the truth, a deep appreciation for the capacity of reason to know God. The combination of reason and authority underpins the theological corpus of Avery Dulles from first page to last.

The book which has had the greatest influence on my own ministry as a Bishop is his "Models of the Church." This work came about nine years after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, and his synthesis of the Council's understanding of ecclesiology resulted in proposing five Models of the Church: Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald and Servant. He wisely recommended that no single model was adequate to describe totally the full life of the Body of Christ, the Church.

In my own reflection on his book, I found very helpful insights into all five models for the Church and my own ministry. The year following the publication of the book, I was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Fresno. More quickly than I would have anticipated, understanding the Church as she emerged from the Council became very important for me.

My work as Archbishop of Los Angeles has been greatly influenced through a convergence of the many themes from the five models. For example, the centrality of the Eucharist found in his Sacrament and Mystical Communion Models led to the publication of my pastoral letter Gather Faithfully Together in 1997. His themes in the Institution and Herald Models helped me understand that all of us through Baptism share in the full life of the Church, and led to various pastoral letters and messages - all with a vision of the life of the Church in which all the baptized have a proper and essential role.

The Servant Model has inspired me to advocate for the dignity and rights of all peoples, but especially those most regarded by society as being on the fringes: immigrants, undocumented peoples, the homeless and others suffering in any way.

I would dare say that the vitality of the Church in the United States is directly linked to the graced and visionary theological insights which Cardinal Dulles shared so generously with all of us over the years. His books, lectures and articles have not only been studied by so many, but they have helped shape the flourishing of the Church in our time.

'A warm-hearted brother, a model Jesuit'

By Rev. Thomas P. Rausch, S.J.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., died December 12 at Fordham University in New York. Though this unassuming man claimed little for himself, his story was extraordinary. Harvard graduate, convert to Catholicism, Naval officer, Jesuit priest, theologian and cardinal of the Catholic Church, he was the son of a patrician Presbyterian family. His great grandfather, great uncle, and father, John Foster Dulles, each had served as U.S. Secretary of State.

A distinguished theologian and ecclesiologist, Cardinal Dulles' books modeled an ecumenically sensitive apologetics grounded in his vast knowledge of the history of theology. His "Models of the Church" (1974) introduced a new and frequently imitated way of summarizing a particular theological vision, using a concept borrowed from the physical sciences. He helped reclaim the word "evangelical" for Catholics, insisting that it described the Church's fundamental mission. His "Models of Revelation" (1983), one of his best books, is a sophisticated study of the mystery of God's self-communication in and through the human.

In recognition of his service to the Church, Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal in 2001, and he continued to publish up to his death, building bridges between the official Church and the theological community, faithful to the parameters set by the Second Vatican Council. Pope Benedict XVI went out of his way to visit him during his recent visit to the United States.

I will remember Cardinal Dulles, or Avery as he was known to his fellow Jesuits, as a warm-hearted brother who always welcomed you with a smile, a personal word and an eagerness to assist a younger scholar. He was a model Jesuit and a great man of the Church.

A few years ago I ran into him early one Saturday morning at a theological convention. I told him I was on my way to breakfast and he said, "Well, it's the feast of the Sacred Heart, and I'm going to holy Mass." We went together to a nearby Jesuit church and celebrated together a quiet Eucharist.

In his farewell McGinley lecture at Fordham which had to be read for him, Cardinal Dulles referred movingly to the illness that had sapped his vitality:

"As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ."

Avery, may the Lord you served so well welcome you home!

Jesuit Father Thomas P. Rausch is T. Marie Chilton professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.