On one of those cold, gray afternoons this past February, I ran into a friend at a coffee shop who greeted me with a warning of her sour mood and explained that she was tired of the gloom.  It was the perfect word for those weeks leading up to Lent.  The darkness and cold of the season seeps into our collective psyche and a pervasive gloom seems to settle into our daily lives.

Last month, we had the opportunity to interview Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, who was a Ph.D. student of then-Professor Joseph Ratzinger in Germany over 50 years ago.

Father Fessio and Pope Benedict XVI had a successful and fruitful partnership in many ways. Of the 66 books that Pope Benedict wrote throughout his life, most of the English versions were published by Father Fessio’s creation, Ignatius Press. If we were to survey all the writings of this prodigious professor/scholar-pastor/theologian, where would we start?

With the snow lingering on the north side ground, it’s hard to imagine that spring will soon be here.

Thoughts and Reflections from Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., Founder of Ignatius Press

We all appreciate the scenic beauty of nature. In our diocese we are blessed with the Rocky Mountains; they are practically at our doorstep. Just a step outside, a nod to the west and the vision of the mountains brings us closer to nature and to God. The top of Pikes Peak is nestled right under heaven and, as sure as the air is crisp, many a prayer has been prayed there.