The communicator

By DUCKY PAREDES
MALAYA

‘His trial went on for twelve days, where he was depicted as a criminal. But in the international community, Reuter was lionized. Thus, the Dictator gave him amnesty.’

FR. James B. Reuter, S.J. was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a showman, a playwright, producer, director, choir conductor, political analyst, broadcaster. His love for the Philippines and Filipinos has been described as “legendary.” But, what he really was and what he has always wanted was a priest and a teacher and, where he always wanted to be was where his personal hero, Ignatius of Loyola was, in the presence of God.

He died, at 96, on the last day of 2012.

Malacañang issued a statement: “From the time he first came to this country before World War II as a young Jesuit novice, to his passing after a lingering illness, Fr. James B. Reuter found happiness and fulfillment in his priestly vocation in the Philippines.

“His love of the Philippines and Filipinos was legendary; so much so it earned him a stature and affection beyond the measure of the many awards, both national and sectoral, that he received throughout his long life.”

James Bertram Reuter was born May 21, 1916 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. At age seven, he declared that he would be a missionary and a priest.

In 1927, after graduating from St. Mary’s, he immediately pursued his dream of priesthood, as an academic scholar, at the St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City.

He graduated from St. Peter’s Prep in 1934 and entered the congregation of the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, where he majored in history.

He took his first holy vows in September 1936 and completed his “Juniorate” in the next two years.

Reuter arrived in Manila on July 4, 1938 and immediately went to the Jesuit College of Ateneo de Manila. From Manila, he was taken to the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches, where young Filipino seminarians studied philosophy.

Reuter was transferred to Baguio to continue his philosophy studies at Sacred Heart College. He stayed at the Jesuit hilltop residence of Mirador and during his free time, coached basketball at St. Louis High and Maryknoll Grade School.

In 1941, Reuter returned to Manila where he was assigned to teach at Ateneo de Manila in Padre Faura. He also helped produce the Catholic Church’s popular Sunday-night radio program, “The Commonweal Hour,” where he worked with some prominent Filipino including Horacio de la Costa, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Ricardo Puno, Jess Paredes, Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, and Raul Manglapus.

During the Japanese occupation World War II, Reuter suffered starvation but, while imprisoned at Padre Faura and Los Baños, he still managed to serve daily communion.

In 1945, after Liberation, he went home to New Jersey to be with family and stayed there until his ordination.

On March 24, 1946, he was ordained along with twenty-six other Jesuits who had also been imprisoned in the Philippines. On June 23, he celebrated his first mass at St. Mary’s in Elizabeth.

He continued his training at the Jesuit Colleges in New York and received his licentiate (equivalent to a master’s degree) in Sacred Theology. He also spent twelve weeks at Fordham University to study radio and television.

Reuter returned to the Philippines in 1948. His first assignment was as a priest in Naga City, Camarines Sur. He also taught at Ateneo de Naga and formed the traveling theatrical company, the Cathedral Players, composed mostly of local priests and nuns, which performed all over the province.

He took his final vows as a Jesuit and was transferred back to the Ateneo de Manila. In Manila, Reuter wrote and produced a play to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of St. Francis Xavier.

In 1960, Reuter was appointed to head the new communication office of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. He moved to the spacious new Jesuit residence called Xavier House in Santa Ana, where he set up his media studios. As Jesuit secretary for communications in the Philippines, Reuter encouraged Jesuits to use radio, film, television, and the press in their apostolic work. He also taught them how to do it.

He served as general manager of Radio Veritas for two years. Despite his prolific activities in media, he still continued to perform priestly functions as well. He also became a chaplain of St. Paul’s College in Manila.

As national director of mass media of the Philippine hierarchy, his mandate was expanded to include the entire Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, thus, making him the Church’s all-around media expert. He also founded Endue Asia, the Asian branch of the International Catholic Association of Radio and Television, to link Catholic broadcasters throughout the region.

With martial law, Reuter’s media operation was temporarily stopped. As head of the Federation of Catholic Broadcasters, he helped get Catholic radio stations back on the air. Reuter also became the formal go-between for the federation’s seventeen stations and the military authorities.

When Reuter returned on air, he bravely broadcast the regime’s brutalities. He was arrested and put on trial for subversion, inciting to rebellion, and dozens of other charges. His trial went on for twelve days, where he was depicted as a criminal. But in the international community, Reuter was lionized. Thus, the Dictator gave him amnesty.

During the papal visit in 1981, Reuter received a special award from Pope John Paul II, for his faithful and courageous contribution to upholding truth, justice and integrity in the Catholic Communications.

When anti-Marcos protests widened, following the death of Ninoy Aquino in 1983, Reuter provided shortwave radios to other stations so they could stay in touch with each other twenty-four hours a day to be able to update the public.

During the February 7, 1986 Snap Election, Reuter and the Federation of Catholic Broadcasters sided with the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) to cover the historic counting of votes. During the EDSA Revolution, Reuter worked with his media, using the code name Papa Bear, to allow the public to be informed with the current national situation.

Reuter received in 1989 the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. He was also recognized for his participation in the stage, printing press and broadcast media.

In 2006, the Philippine Congress granted the Rev. James Bertram Reuter, S.J., honorary Filipino citizenship.

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Fr. Reuter was one of my teachers at the Ateneo. He was also my glee club conductor, my director and producer in stage plays and over-all life coach to many. He was a lot of things to many of us in his seven decades in this country. A comment from one his former student actresses says it all: “He loved us all. How do you think I got to be a stage actress with no real talent for it? “

She was actually quite good and well-regarded as an actress.

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