Intrigue in the Dark Corridors of Power...

... could have as much to do with the shuffling of Fr. Fessio at Ave Maria University than anything else. Some people have contended that Fessio's removal as Provost had something to do with the liturgical divide within the faithful - which when you pause to think about it is only a little short of ridiculous. Others have claimed that it was to do with nepotism and patronage-staffing. Finally even others think it was as simple as making the offices of the university as efficient as possible, and that having two offices with equal power, the Provost and the President, was a serious detriment to the development of the university.

Still, it's troubling to read on other sites that there are many Catholics who seem bent on opposing the Ave Maria project. Sure, you may not agree with Tom Monaghan and his decisions, but I'm sure you could agree that the creation and success of a vibrantly orthodox university is in the best interests of the Catholic Church in America, if not the rest of the world. I've even read that 'parents don't like AMU and students are interested in it' - that could be nothing farther from the truth. Even up here in Cold Canada, AMU is a school many of our Catholic youth are interested in visiting and hopefully attending.

I also sense some naivete out there too, embodied in the much expressed shock that a Provost would be removed in such a way at a Catholic university. Well folks, these things happen all the time at universities, secular and religious. Usually it boils down to people of principle wishing to take the school in certain directions, which unfortunately can as often be opposite than similar. In fact at my alma mater, a secular school if ever there was one, several influential figures were forcibly removed in the late 1990's, simply because many at the university felt that new leadership was required. These things happen; get used to it.

Falling Like Domino's...

Fr. Joseph Fessio was fired yesterday from Ave Maria University. Fessio is a well known figure in Catholic circles - he studied under Pope Benedict, founded Ignatius Press, and contributes to First Things on occasion - and as such is well respected amongst other scholars and professors. I've heard it more than once that Fessio was instrumental in keeping some of the faculty after the contentious move from Michigan to Flordia.

It's a shame he's gone. The last thing we Catholics need is another bitter division. Hopefully more details will be revealed over the next few days.