The Loving Memory of Tim Russert and the one thing that animated him most of all is the subject of this Big B File.
On Friday, June 13, 2008, we all heard about the sudden death of NBC News Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief and "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert. From all indications, Tim apparently died of a heart attack resulting from a clot that had broken away in a vessel near his heart. He died doing the one thing he loved doing . . . journalism. He was by all accounts a fair minded and kind person.
People from all over . . . Conservatives, Liberals, etc . . . all praised Tim Russert for what he did and for his strong sense of family. However, there was one thing most of all that they left out . . . his deep seeded faith. Like me (in a large number of ways), he was a devout Roman Catholic.
Tim Russert made every effort to make it to mass every day, which turned out to be the highlight of his day. He had met both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. All of the others who reminisced about Tim Russert being a journalist, his country (United States), and his family motivated him to be what he was at the time of his death on June 13th.
The Big B Files believes wholeheartedly that all of that was because of and motivated by his Roman Catholic Faith. It was like at times that Tim Russert was so devout in his Roman Catholic Faith, that he would put myself and others to shame. I have seen this myself and with my own eyes . . . having been following him over the years.
Tim Russert was the one who arranged to have the daily Mass celebrated LIVE on national network television by none other than Pope John Paul II himself. Tim Russert was the only network news journalist to have his son, Luke Russert, baptized by a pope. Pope John Paul II Baptized his son, Luke Russert, twenty-tow (22) years ago at St. Peter’s in Vatican City (Rome).