Jesuit Order Disciplines Father Fessio

SAN FRANCISCO, (CWNews.com) -- Father Joseph Fessio, the Jesuit priest who founded Ignatius Press, has been reassigned to serve as a chaplain in a hospital in Los Angeles.

Although Father Fessio will be allowed to continue his work as a director of Ignatius Press-- which is based in San Francisco-- he has been ordered under obedience not to play a role in Campion College, the new Catholic liberal-arts institution being founded by Ignatius Press.

Father Fessio received his new assignment from the California Jesuit province after a dispute with the administration of the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit institution, over the founding of Campion College.

Last year the USF president, Father Stephen Privett, dismissed the director of the Ignatius Institute, a university program dedicated to liberal-arts learning, using the "Great Books" approach. Critics of that move-- including Father Fessio, who had been a founder of the Ignatius Institute-- charged that USF was stifling an orthodox Catholic program.

Early in 2002, several scholars who had been involved in the Ignatius Institute came together to found a new institution, Campion College, which would be dedicated to the same principles that had originally driven the Ignatius Institute. The prospect of such a direct conflict was not attractive to the USF administration.

I probably should have added that he is past retirement age.I hope that will spare him from the wrath of the superiors. It seems to me that the worst they could do would be to take the parish away and he just might be happy.But you are correct in advising we use caution when we try to help those good priests and Orders and charitable causes we want to support. Some of the "counter Catholics"within would use that to strike at the "good"

I have wondered if the best tactic to take might be to write the facts,opinions and thoughts we have,without using names or dioceses andsend it to every Bishop in America.Kind of an"if the shoe fits wear it" letter.The good ones will know we support them and the bad ones may recognize they are outed. It might give the good ones strength to fight harder at Bishops'Conferences and the bad ones a little fear attack. I want them to know that I have no respect for the worldly approach many of them adopt and I will only support the endeavors of those in allegience with the Pope and Magisterium. And somehow it must be clear to them that there craftily worded defenses are a joke and most informed and holy Catholics know it and laugh at them behind their backs,when they get over the initial anger and shock at some of their machinations and outright lies.

Just some developing thoughts. There is no questiion that we need to pray but we must act too. I want my children and grandchildren to have the same beautiful,holy Church I was able to go to to find God and solace in the darkest of times.

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