The Smartest Man I Ever Knew

My field of interest is theology, philosophy, culture, history, and the social sciences; so I am not talking about so many other intelligences such as musical, engineering, emotional, mathmatical, athletic, political, artistic, business and other. I will include among those I have known some famous figures who I have heard speak but I did not know personally and who did not know me; these I will italicize. By "smart" I mean here a combination of natural intelligence, erudition, virtuous character, and holiness which together bear fruit as wisdom and depth of insight.

Genius level, first team. John Paul II, Kiko Arguello, Pope Benedict Emeritus.,

Brilliant level, second team. Ivan Illich, Fulton Sheen, Adrian Walker, Scott Hahn, Paolo Prosperi and D.L. Schindler and D.C. Schindler, Avery Dulles.

Outstanding level, third team. Paul Vitz, Tom Guarino, Benedict Groeschel, Joe Whelan S.J., Bill Toth, (from the same JP II Institute) Antonio Lopez and Michael Hanby and Nicholas Healy, Ralph Martin, Rabbi Asher Finkel and Lawrence Frizzell.

Special mention: Two non-academics who were autodidacts (self-taught) but widely read, sterling in character, deep in insight and who deeply, personally influenced me: John Rapinich (my best friend, artist, beatnik friend of Kerouac, eccentric, saint) and Pat Williams, ex-marine, ex-pugilist, librarian, college mentor.

A tougher question: Who are the greatest women I have met in this regard? As I pondered this, I realized that the outstanding women I have known are weaker in erudition but deeper in emotional, intuitive, psychological, and spiritual wisdom. Less abstract and academic, they are more engaged concretely and incarnately in a life of prayer and service. At the top of this list: two women I personally met, Mother Theresa of Calcutta and Dorothy Day. Also: Seton Hall's Doctor Diane Traflett, my friend Felician Sister Marilyn Minter, Union Seminary's psychologist-theologian Ann Ulanov, and my charismatic mentor, Sister of Charity Pat Brennan.

I stand on the shoulders of giants.