Ave Maria Fires Fr. Joseph Fessio

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Hello All,

I am a student at Ave Maria and all I see hear is a bunch of heresay, speculation, and grandstanding. I’m amused that many with agendas are using Fr. Fessio’s departure to suit them. Fr. Fessio has always remained Faithful to the Magisterium and Orthodoxy. It appears more likely that he was dismissed for administrative infighting, though the Students are as in the dark as those on the outside.

Further I need to make the point clear that the school has a varied Spirituality. Their are Charismatics as much as their are Traditionalists. Many times Pride comes in and causes disdain between the two groups. As a person with eclectic tastes, I can say Ave has NO Liturgical abuses because the Chaplianacy keep a firm hand on the GIRM. Those who complain about the Healing Mass or the Latin Liturgy are those with axes to grind.

I highly advise caution when speculating on such matters were liitle information is available. The best thing to do is to Pray for AMU, that God’s will be done. If there are those who are upset by the events, especially donors, please make your voices heard to the Administration. The descision came from Mr. Mognahan himself, so he’s the one that needs to answer for it. :ehh:
 
LuxAurumque said:
I am hoping for the Pope appointing him as Bishop of Naples which be ironic beyond belief. But yea the administration is not favorable to tradition or authentic obedience. Just recently at a retreat two students refused to participate in a Mass that was ridden with liturgical abuse and the administration was going to expel them but Fr. Fessio intervened to save them… maybe this was the last straw for the radicals at the helm.
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Proof would be nice when making comments like this.

Otherwise this is nothing but gossip and attacks the good name of the school and all those involved with it.

Shame.
 
JKirkLVNV said:
It’s entirely possible that the Masses at AMU are charismatic AND modernistic, but I wouldn’t rely on AngelQueen to determine that for me.
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Well, sure – I wouldn’t rely on some random Angelqueen poster to make my decisions for me, either. The same goes for CA Forums. All of these boards are made up of individuals whose views range from “well-informed and highly reliable,” to well-intentioned but often wrong," to “downright wacky.” :hypno: Still, after spending some time on a forum, one begins to get a sense of which posters are more reliable. And, of course, you can check their sources.

Personally, I’m inclined to listen to John Grasmeier, the resident of Naples, FL who wrote the article on Angelqueen. He seems to have done his homework (numerous personal interviews, obtaining copies of relevant e-mails and memos, etc.), and IMO has been careful and circumspect about what he’s written on the subject. If you choose to write him off because he meets your definition of a “raving radical,” that’s your choice. I just hope, for the sake of fairness, that you’re applying an equal degree of doubt to the claims of the “charismatics” as you are to the claims of the “traditionalists.” 😉

It’s possible that his sources are all wrong – as RikasAngel seems to imply – and these “liturgical dancers” and “clay chalices” were simply a figment of someone’s imagination. Perhaps all the Masses were done 100% by-the-book, with obedience to the rubrics, and appropriate music… with any “healing sessions” taking place after the dismissal, rather than during the Mass itself. I hope this is the case. If it isn’t, then “modernist” would seem to be an apt description of the goings-on.

That said, of course it’s possible that Father Fessio was dismissed for an entirely different reason. Maybe even having something to do with his actual ability and suitability for the position! Sometimes the simplest explanation does turn out to be the truth. 🤷
 
maryceleste said:
Well, sure – I wouldn’t rely on some random Angelqueen poster to make my decisions for me, either. The same goes for CA Forums. All of these boards are made up of individuals whose views range from “well-informed and highly reliable,” to well-intentioned but often wrong," to “downright wacky.” :hypno: Still, after spending some time on a forum, one begins to get a sense of which posters are more reliable. And, of course, you can check their sources.

Personally, I’m inclined to listen to John Grasmeier, the resident of Naples, FL who wrote the article on Angelqueen. He seems to have done his homework (numerous personal interviews, obtaining copies of relevant e-mails and memos, etc.), and IMO has been careful and circumspect about what he’s written on the subject. If you choose to write him off because he meets your definition of a “raving radical,” that’s your choice. I just hope, for the sake of fairness, that you’re applying an equal degree of doubt to the claims of the “charismatics” as you are to the claims of the “traditionalists.” 😉

It’s possible that his sources are all wrong – as RikasAngel seems to imply – and these “liturgical dancers” and “clay chalices” were simply a figment of someone’s imagination. Perhaps all the Masses were done 100% by-the-book, with obedience to the rubrics, and appropriate music… with any “healing sessions” taking place after the dismissal, rather than during the Mass itself. I hope this is the case. If it isn’t, then “modernist” would seem to be an apt description of the goings-on.

That said, of course it’s possible that Father Fessio was dismissed for an entirely different reason. Maybe even having something to do with his actual ability and suitability for the position! Sometimes the simplest explanation does turn out to be the truth. 🤷
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First, I choose to be careful of him BECAUSE he posts on Angelqueen, like I’m careful of people who contribute to or get information from Marian Horvat’s site, the Remnant, NovusOrdo Watch, etc.

Second, I’m not a charismatic and I avoid their services. This isn’t sympathy for charismatics.

And it may still be a stretch to call it “modernism,” according to the Church’s definition. When someone self-identifying as a “traditionalist” uses the term, you have to read what they say carefully. Sometimes they get it right (traditionalists), but most of the radical traditionalists DON’T (it’s just a word they parrot for whatever they don’t like in the post-conciliar Church). So I’m suspicious.

As for Fr. Fessio, I wish they’d make him an archbishop and then elevated him to the cardinalate.
 
maryceleste said:
Today’s coverage from the Naples Daily News:

Former Ave Maria Provost: “I think it was a mistake to fire me”

The above article seems to suggest that the firing might have had something to do with a recent interview that Father Fessio gave to the California Catholic Daily, in which he made comments supporting the notion of a biological basis for homosexuality.

I guess theories are a dime a dozen these days!
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Well, from the second link, all Fr. said was “if!”
 
Hello All,

As of about 6:22pm, it has been announced that Fr. Fessio has been reinstated as a Theologian in Residence and Professor of Theology, however he will no longer have administrative authority. It seems the pressure may have been too much. 😃
 
RikasAngel said:
Hello All,

As of about 6:22pm, it has been announced that Fr. Fessio has been reinstated as a Theologian in Residence and Professor of Theology, however he will no longer have administrative authority. It seems the pressure may have been too much. 😃
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Another example of Mr Monaghan and his cya tactics. Meanwhile, the ABA has a factfinder at the Law School in Michigan. Very open discussions… students there are not happy either… not with the possible move to Fla, but with the governance of the whole mess… Monaghan, Healy, Dobranski, Orsi, Fessio et al.

.
 
MrS said:
Another example of Mr Monaghan and his cya tactics. Meanwhile, the ABA has a factfinder at the Law School in Michigan. Very open discussions… students there are not happy either… not with the possible move to Fla, but with the governance of the whole mess… Monaghan, Healy, Dobranski, Orsi, Fessio et al.

.
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Easy enough to say when we are not the ones who have seen a need for truly Catholic higher education and have gone ahead at great effort and risk to do something about it. It is not the critic who counts, my friends.

As a parent of an AMU student who received a call from my distraught daughter as soon as she heard about the firing, I was amazed that anyone would let Fr. Fessio go, and am thrilled that he accepted the request to come back. What do I know about Mr. Monaghan’s skills as a university founder? Maybe most of you here would do better if you were in his shoes. All I know is, I am grateful that AMU is there as a choice for our children, and my daughter is getting a fabulous education both in and out of the classroom. God bless Mr. Monaghan a thousand times over for the impact his efforts have had on her life… and may Our Blessed Mother’s influence over the university far outdistance his in the decades and centuries to come.
 
Ave Maria University Dean Assumes New Role in Saginaw

Rev. J. Michael Beers, Ph.D., S.S.L., 57, a priest of the Diocese of Allentown and Dean of the Pre-Theologate at Ave Maria University, Naples, has been assigned by his bishop, Most Rev. Edward P. Cullen, D.D., to a new post in the Diocese of Saginaw, where he will be the founding director of a new house of priestly formation and rector of the Shrine of St. Joseph in Bay City, Michigan.

Father Beers is well-known in Collier County for his activity in the Knights of Columbus and as chaplain to Legatus. He is a member of the Collier Athletic Club and the University Club of Washington, D.C. He also teaches at Ave Maria University as Associate Professor of Classics and Early Christian Literature. He is a member of the North American Patristics Society, Medieval Academy of America, American Philological Association, Catholic Biblical Association and Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.

Asked for his reaction to his new assignment, Fr. Beers said: “I am extremely grateful to my ordinary, Bishop Cullen, for his great generosity in releasing me for service to the Church in Saginaw. I have always lived my priesthood with the motto: Nil sine episcopo (Nothing without my bishop). I am his faithful son, he is a successor of the Apostles, through my bishop I have my union with Our Lord. The apostolic succession of our bishops is the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

“Furthermore, I look forward to the challenges of starting a new seminary and my collaboration with Bishop Carlson, who has been my friend for nearly fifteen years. I first met him in 1993 when I was interviewed to be rector of St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the bishop then served as an auxiliary bishop. I taught Latin to his seminarians last summer, I look forward to working with them fulltime. They are a fine group of men, solid and enflamed by the Holy Spirit, typical of the Pope John Paul II generation of seminarians, who are the vanguard of priests formed in the model of Pope Benedict XVI. I also look forward to the great pastoral opportunities of serving as the rector of the Shrine of St. Joseph. Every priest’s heart is in his parish. The bishop envisions this as a center for the revitalization of the faith and sacramental life of the faithful in the diocese; we shall have daily adoration and opportunities for Confession, as well as two daily Masses.”

more:
 
continue:

The Most Rev. Robert Carlson, Bishop of Saginaw, was one of the last bishops appointed by the late Pope John Paul II, just months before his death in April 2005. He came from the Diocese of Sioux Falls, where he had been bishop for ten years. He was consecrated a bishop in his native Saint Paul on Jan. 11, 1984. In just two years, the number of seminarians studying for Saginaw has jumped from two to 18.

Similarly, Father Beers has been responsible for the phenomenal growth of the Pre-Theologate (an undergraduate program of priestly formation that prepares men for direct entrance into the seminary) at Ave Maria University. He assumed leadership in October 2003, with only six students. For the past two years, the Ave Maria University Pre-Theologate has been recognized as “the fastest growing formation program in the U.S.” Eighty per cent of the Pre-Theologate graduates have entered major seminaries. Next year at Ave Maria University, nearly half of all undergraduate men will be preparing for the priesthood, with anticipated enrollment of sixty men in the Pre-Theologate, twelve of them seminarians, sponsored by bishops. Six of the freshmen will be seminarians, this will be a first in the history of Ave Maria University.

When he received word of his assignment to Saginaw, Father Beers posted this message to his students: “I want you men to be the first to know. You are my spiritual sons, you will have my undying esteem. I shall not leave you orphans. I have been working with Fr. Fessio over the last three weeks to identify a suitable replacement who will enjoy the respect all of you have shown me over these past four years. My successor will surely be a man who will be well-qualified and will represent us well to our nation’s bishops and vocations directors, as I have tried to do for you. I also spoke to our own Bishop Dewane two weeks ago about my new assignment; he assured me of his continued support of our Pre-Theologate program.”

To guarantee a smooth transition to a new Dean/Rector of the priestly formation program, Father Beers plans to remain on campus through the end of July and assist the new Dean. Since pre-registration for the Fall begins next week, the announcement of a new Dean is expected shortly.

Father Beers was ordained a priest by the Most Rev. Edward Hughes on May 19, 1979 at the Basilica Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. He has dedicated over twenty years to the formation of Roman Catholic priests at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio, and at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he served as Associate Professor of Scripture and Patristics, Academic Dean, Director of Field Education and Director of Seminary Research and Planning. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force (Reserves), attached to the Air Intelligence Agency, San Antonio, Texas.

Father Beers was graduated from the Salesianum School, Wilmington, Delaware. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Catholic University of America, from which he received his B.A. in Classical Languages, his Ph.D. in Medieval Latin and Patristic Greek and his S.T.B. in Theology. He also holds the Pontifical License, Magna Cum Laude, in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, and the diplomas of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archeology, Rome, and of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has done post-doctoral research in patristic and medieval Latin commentaries on Scripture at the Vatican Library. He is fluent in seven languages: English, French, Italian, German, Hebrew, Greek and Latin.

His edition of a twelfth-century commentary on the Cistercian hymnal was published in England by Boydell and Brewer. The author of over 300 articles in Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia and Dictionary, Father Beers has written over 50 articles and book reviews for the Catholic News Service, Brown Studies in Religion, Stewardship Journal and The Catholic Answer. Father Beers was the first book review editor of Catholic Heritage. His scholarship today is focused on business ethics and environmental stewardship. He has lectured and participated in conferences in Warsaw; Prague; Rome; Milan; Athens; Buenos Aires; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Birmingham, England; Trnava, Slovakia; and Mont-Pelerin, Switzerland.
Fr. Michael Beers
 
momof8 said:
Easy enough to say when we are not the ones who have seen a need for truly Catholic higher education and have gone ahead at great effort and risk to do something about it. It is not the critic who counts, my friends.

As a parent of an AMU student who received a call from my distraught daughter as soon as she heard about the firing, I was amazed that anyone would let Fr. Fessio go, and am thrilled that he accepted the request to come back. What do I know about Mr. Monaghan’s skills as a university founder? Maybe most of you here would do better if you were in his shoes. All I know is, I am grateful that AMU is there as a choice for our children, and my daughter is getting a fabulous education both in and out of the classroom. God bless Mr. Monaghan a thousand times over for the impact his efforts have had on her life… and may Our Blessed Mother’s influence over the university far outdistance his in the decades and centuries to come.
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Think Franciscan University. It is charismatic but open too to traditonalism. It is a scandal that orthodox Catholics are so now divided over whether you are a charismatic or a “Tridentine Mass” orthodox Catholic.

It’s why these new movements - Tridente or charismatic are failing. Few converts, priest shortage increasing. Something is wrong with this picture!

The so-called “orthodox” Catholics have become their own worst enemy.

All the while Islam and fundamentalist Christianity is flourishing in North and South America.
 
If I went to that school I would think its cool to have a charismatic type of group and traditional.

I think Healing, gifts of the spirit, speaking in tongues is something that should be more expressed in the church.

Having these powers of GOD expressed in Believers is a sign to the world of the truth of our Religion.
Not to mention the benfits it can afford us in learning the will of GOD And saving us from afflications and aliments.
 
RepentorPerish said:
If I went to that school I would think its cool to have a charismatic type of group and traditional.

I think Healing, gifts of the spirit, speaking in tongues is something that should be more expressed in the church.

Having these powers of GOD expressed in Believers is a sign to the world of the truth of our Religion.
Not to mention the benfits it can afford us in learning the will of GOD And saving us from afflications and aliments.
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ITA - Christianity is becomiung charismatic or pentecostal. There was an article by Jenkins I belieive on that recetnly.

For traditionalists to deny that is to have their heads in the sand -they should embrace it. Maybe why these FSSP/indult communities have so few conversts. That alone tells you something is wrong with this - or their - picture.
 
rien said:
For traditionalists to deny that is to have their heads in the sand -they should embrace it. Maybe why these FSSP/indult communities have so few conversts. That alone tells you something is wrong with this - or their - picture.
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No. Bishops are the ones who refuse to allow the indult and refuse to allow the FSSP priests in their dioceses. Plus there are not very many of those priests yet since they’re only a new order. But if you compare them to other orders, they’re growing by leaps and bounds. There is nothing wrong with their picture. How long has it been in existence? Only a few years, and yet you say something is wrong. Get it a chance!

And people don’t know they need Tradition and ritual because they’re not *taught *that they need it; that it’s important and provides a special source of spiritual nourishment that the charismatic movement cannot solely provide.
 
AMU is a privately funded business run by a corporate magnate. and like all companies, they have a right to keep or dismiss employees in an 'at will" basis…

why was he rehired?.. bad press.

rehiring him was a pure business decision.

I have little respect for Universities to begin with, they are a shadow of what higher learning should be.

If they had a reason to fire him, i’d have respected AMU more for sticking to their guns rather than backpedaling and rehiring to save face. I hate packpedeling almost as much as i hate… have i mentioned… .the American University system.
 
MrS said:
from the Washington Post:

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032400970.html

By hiring Fr Fessio back, perhaps Mr Monaghan’s popularity has risen to an all-time high of 4.6%
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I didn’t catch that poll result in the article.

I thought Fr. Fessio was pretty funny with his comment about having “all the advantages of dying without being dead.”

I think he’s handled this very well and I’m glad he had the class to come back, because the school needs him. I pray that there is no permanent harm done which can certainly happen when you are blindsided as he, the faculty, staff, students and donors were when he was asked to resign.

I did read your comments, MrS, in the discussion about the law school’s move to FL. I can certainly understand the sense of betrayal among the students and faculty in that case, especially being told that the school would definitely not move even though that is obviously what Mr. Monaghan wanted - obvious now, although not necessarily obvious to the person who said it wasn’t going to move. I would feel betrayed, too.

But, the move was going to happen, and now at least anyone who considers going there will know for certain. That is not something we experienced, since my daughter was accepted to AMU when it already was in FL. So, Florida it is. Personally, I think it’s a beautiful place to go to school. I pray for the success both of AMU and of the law school. These are good things Tom Monaghan is trying to do, and I certainly don’t want him and the school to be hurt by the fact that he can be “his own worst enemy,” as the article says. If the university and the law school can be successful, it will be a very good thing.
 
rien said:
Think Franciscan University. It is charismatic but open too to traditonalism. It is a scandal that orthodox Catholics are so now divided over whether you are a charismatic or a “Tridentine Mass” orthodox Catholic.
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Rien,

I haven’t gotten a sense of there being such a division at AMU. Maybe some people there feel that way, I suppose some Charismatics or some who favor more traditional practices might feel insecure about what the other is doing, but my dd’s comment was only that it is wonderful that both are available at the school. The Church approves of both, just as the Church approves of various types of spirituality - Carmelite, Franciscan, etc. There is a place in the Church for Charismatics and those who are not attracted to the Charismatic movement, and my sense is that there is a place at AMU for both. If someone is trying to portray a general sense of animosity between these groups at AMU, my feeling is such a person is mistaken.
 
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