Tea at Trianon: Another point of view....

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Another point of view....

This morning the NOR offered an article from two years ago which sheds a little more light on the Ave Maria University/ Father Fessio fiasco for those of us who have not been following it all along. It is from the point of view of a former professor at AMU and it confirms the hunch I had that some of the problems were/are administrative rather than liturgical. It is critical of Father Fessio; please read with discernment. I am posting it since I have many friends with teenage children who were seriously considering Ave Maria as a college option and I want them to see all sides of the story. We tend to forget that in even the best of institutions there can be personality clashes and disagreements that may or may not have anything to do with liturgical aberrations. It is all a matter for prayer. Share

12 comments:

Anonymous said...: Seems that article is critical of not just Fr Fessio, but of Tom Monaghan as well. It comes off like "sour grapes" to me--of course, I'm a complete outsider.; March 28, 2007 at 11:50:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Georgette, I have that definite impression as well. But I do think it shows that some of the problems there are not necessarily a liberal/conservative tug of war as we tend to assume.; March 28, 2007 at 11:53:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: Fessio's ouster and then rehiring (in a figurehead position, so it seems) surely had nothing to do with liberalism. Ave Maria is solidly orthodox. Unfortunately, it's also lacking in intellectual rigor (and this won't improve with Healy still in power and Fessio out) and it's facing an uncertain future given its small enrollment, fundraising issues, and Monaghan's--ah--personality quirks.; March 28, 2007 at 2:15:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, that clarifies things a bit more. Hopefully, they will be able to work out some of those problems soon. I know so many people who wanted their children to go there.; March 28, 2007 at 2:31:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: As somebody fairly close to the goings-on at AMU, I'd like to bring up something that I don't see mentioned about Fr. Fessio, when "administration" is being questioned. That is the comparison between Ignatius Press and Ave Maria University. The first is by all accounts a well-run, successful (very!) and happy organization. The latter is a poorly-run, marginally sucessful (in the enrollment, public-relations and fundraising senses, at least), and a very unhappy, even fearful organization.

What's the difference? Fr. Fessio plays a large role in both organizations, though smaller at AMU than at Ignatius Press. Tom Monaghan and Nick Healy play a large role at AMU and none at Ignatius Press. Draw your own conclusions.; March 28, 2007 at 3:55:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I was thinking along those same lines. Fr. Fessio has amazing accomplishments.; March 28, 2007 at 4:06:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: I meant to ask in an earlier post: by whom is Ave Maria not accredited?; March 28, 2007 at 8:39:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Oy, that was the longest neener-neener (sour grapes, yes) I've ever read. He's blamed Fr. Fessio especially for everything but global warming. He dost protest too much. I'm sick to death of even intra-Church conspiracy theories.; March 29, 2007 at 5:37:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: So am I. (Anonymous, are you the same person as the "Anonymous" who posted yesterday?); March 29, 2007 at 5:43:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: I apologize, Elena, no -- I'm not the same Anonymous (I'm not that swift). I am only Lily, who forgot to say so.

As for Ave Maria schools, if they aren't already so, I think they'll be wonderful eventually, but even now are likely stunning when contrasted with other universities who'd rather swallow boiling oil than mention the Good Name.; March 29, 2007 at 9:04:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Hi, Lily, I thought maybe it was you! yes, I think that it will be a good school once they get through all this.; March 29, 2007 at 9:12:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: Alas, I don't think it is going to pan out. Monaghan's approach is antithetical to the Idea of a University as propounded by Cardinal Newman. I work at a Catholic college, and we had several of his faculty trying to scramble aboard our lifeboat in these past few years. He may be a wonderful businessman, and a good Catholic, but he is not an academic. I am, and he wouldn't want me running his pizza company.; March 30, 2007 at 9:00:00 PM EDT