….In the 1990s, when I was a young priest, agencies in the Church were retranslating the Mass into English. Their plans were subversive. They didn’t like words such as “holy,” “spirit,” “merit,” “man,” and even “father.” (Do you remember when they translated Et cum spiritu tuo“ as “And also with you”?) Back then the politically correct translators shunned male pronouns, except when referring to Satan.

Along with several other priests, I started an organization promoting the accurate translation of the Sacred Liturgy using standard English. We enlisted the support of 2000 priests. Many bishops and the Vatican listened to our concerns. We contributed to the cause by offering accurate alternatives to the ideological translations. After many delays, the Vatican released an exemplary translation of the Mass in 2011.

Early in the process, we held a conference of Latinists to translate portions of the Mass for bishops to consider. I wasn’t a translator; I was a paperclip: good at administration, so I organized the gathering. Among the participants was Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, the distinguished head of outfit Ignatius Press. He had studied under three of the greatest theological minds of the 20th century—Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

I met Father Fessio shortly before the conference as I assembled paperwork for the participants. I was alone. Father Fessio arrived early and immediately offered to assist me with my mundane duties. Time was short, and I needed the help; he didn’t think of himself as too prominent a person to handle a stapler. This wasn’t an isolated act of generosity. Later I visited Ignatius Press and observed how Father Fessio similarly worked with his staff—an intact staff to this day.

Father Fessio designed the Catholic Great Books program at the University of San Francisco and pioneered the most prolific Catholic publishing house in the English-speaking world. But no job was too small for him. He pitched in where he was needed and earned the loyalty of his employees. His recent biography by mentor and historian Father Cornelius Buckley, S.J. (Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., California Blackrobe) is an entertaining (sometimes hilarious) and unsentimental read.

The chapter on Father Fessio’s experiences at Ave Maria University is honest and respectful of those who share his vision. Father Fessio is not a yes-man. Father Fessio has the greatness of a military leader, a customer-relations representative, and that chicken man.

The staff served supper on the evening of my visit to Ignatius Press, after a long and arduous day. Roxanne, a hard-working staff member, fed us. When I marveled at her unassuming generosity, she replied, “I’ve come to serve.” The dedication of Father Fessio’s staff poses this question: Did Father Fessio influence them, or did they influence him?

From Catholic Culture.org by Father Jerry Pokorsky