 | | | Portrait of Father Joseph Fessio, S.J.
(Courtesy of Ignatius Press) | |
A closer look at Father Fessio
His favorite among the pope’s books: “I’ve got a lot of favorites among them. But I think The Spirit of the Liturgy is the most extraordinary book on the Mass ever written. ”
Some of his favorite books: “Anything by C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton. And The Lord of the Rings is a classic.”
Favorite food: “As I get older I’m getting back to basics. I love good bread and good wine.”
Favorite prayer: “The Mass. At Ignatius Press we have Mass together, we have divine office together. It’s not regular and it’s not required, but we do that. We have the Rosary together and then we have private prayer. So those are the four pillars.”
Hobbies: “I like to hike. But I’m thinking of founding a club for people who don’t sing, don’t dance, don’t act, and don’t play an instrument. And then we’re going to be the ones that appreciate everybody else who can do those things.” |
A Catholic Digest Papal Visit Exclusive“Pope Benedict already has a legacy which is going to last for centuries”In 1974, Joseph Fessio was a prospective doctoral student in theology seeking an advisor. He asked an acquaintance if he had any suggestions. “Well,” said the priest, “there’s a very fine young theologian at the University of Regensburg (West Germany), Father Ratzinger.” The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did Fessio become one of the future pope’s students, but when Fessio founded Ignatius Press in 1978, he also became the publisher of much of the pope’s work — up to 45 books today. In preparation for Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to the United States,
Catholic Digest recently spoke with Father Fessio about what it was like to study with the future pope, the ways he thinks the pope’s been misunderstood, and what it’s like being the pope’s publisher.
CD: What were your first impressions of Joseph Ratzinger when you met him in 1974 in Regensburg?FESSIO: By that time he must have been close to 45 years old, and he was already quite mature in his thought and in his person. I see him as being the same as I’ve always known him. He’s very gracious, very receptive — he listens very well — and very kind. Of course, he’s quite intelligent and has a wonderful sense of humor. And he’s very transparent also. One reason that many of us who know him were so happy when he was elected pope was that we realized,
Now the world will know what we know — what kind of person he is.
CD: Certainly the public doesn’t know Pope Benedict as well as his predecessor, and we have a limited idea of what he’s like in the everyday sense. What are a couple of things about Pope Benedict that you think would surprise people in a good way?FESSIO: In one sense, I don’t think there are any surprises left. When he was first elected in April 2005 people were saying, “Well, what do you think’s going to happen? The pope is a serious disciplinarian, this dour person, ‘God’s Rottweiler.’” I said, “Well, no, you’ll be surprised.” And a few nights later I was asked, “Well, Father, what’s caused this great change?” I said, “Nothing’s changed, except you now see what he’s really like.”
CD: You talked about his kindness, his sense of humor. Do you have any examples of those sorts of qualities, any particular stories that stick in your mind?FESSIO: I’ve been asked this question many times and I’ve racked my brain. But you know, he’s not the kind of person who suddenly jumps up and does something surprising that you remember. It’s just a kind of a constant presence. When you celebrate Mass with him there’s a sense of the sacred that you just can’t explain. And when he gives his homilies, apparently without any notes, they’re so organized and so beautiful. Or at the end of a seminar after he’s listened to all his students, he’ll summarize things and, you know, you could write it down and publish it as an article. He thinks so clearly, organizes his thoughts so well. But I can’t think of any particular thing that stands out.
CD: How did you find him as a teacher and a mentor? FESSIO: In the seminars and the classes he was certainly an outstanding teacher, which is why he had so many students and so many doctoral students. Then when he was made Archbishop of Munich-Freising in 1977 his doctoral students decided to form an alumni group called the Schulerkreis. We’d meet every year to discuss some theological theme and bring some speakers in. So we’ve done that every year since. That was a way of getting to know him a little better. Then in 1989 three of the priests and I met with Cardinal Ratzinger and, with him as our patron, we established a house of formation and discernment in Rome called Casa Balthasar. We would meet with him every year, so then I got to see him much more personally and privately. In all those contacts he was still the same very warm and very open person. You get the impression that he didn’t have any arrogance or pride at all. He just was very natural with us.
