Ignatius Press: Off the Shelf
Want to get more out of reading books? Join Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro every Wednesday as they take an important book off the shelf and steadily unpack the most important passages over the coming weeks. Not only can you enjoy their delightful and engaging banter, but their discussion will help you get more out of the text as you follow along.
Episodes
Ida Görres outlines the Victorian era in which St. John Henry Newman found himself. Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss how this era was marked by rationalism, industrialism, and scientism. Joseph then claims that Newman is a light or first-wave romantic that maintained a childlikeness rather than a dark or second-generation romantic that became childish.
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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce begin Ida Friederike Görres’s book John Henry Newman: A Life Sacrificed. After briefly summarizing the life of Ida Görres, the three commentators dive into this introduction to St. John Henry Newman, and they comment on Ida’s prescience and whether or not one can be a Christian humanist.
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In this episode, Fr. Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph conclude their discussion of the Wedding of Magdeburg. As the battle begins, Von Falkenberg then dies without praying, while Willigis remains safe due to the Marian standard which he held. Willigis then saves Erdmuth and takes her to the Cathedral in the middle of the battle to marry her. Finally, at the request of the pastor’s wife, Tilly shows mercy to the remaining citizens of Magd...
Continuing with part three of the Wedding of Magdeburg, Fr. Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph comment on General Tilly’s reflection on the sword of the soldier which God has entrusted to him. Willigis then returns to Magdeburg with the banner of Mary which strengthens him to go to the city’s elders to convince them to surrender.
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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce reflect on the dynamic depiction of the key characters written by Gertrude Von Le Fort. In particular, they reflect on the fall of Erdmuth becoming a bride of the false bridegroom. They also reveal the inner meaning of the imagery so masterly woven into the Wedding of Magdeburg.
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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce begin the third part of the Wedding of Magdeburg. They reflect on Von Falkenberg, who has now taken over the city and begins to genuinely love and respect Erdmuth, and yet still chooses to rule and eventually facilitate the destruction of Magdeburg. They end by discussing the wife of the Protestant pastor whose peace and maternal love reflect that of the Blessed Virgin.
After meeting with General Tilly, Willigis has to sneak into the Magdeburg because he is barred from the city. He then discovers that Erdmuth has not waited for him and has rejected him because of her pride. Fr. Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph reflect on how much this novel is Gertrude Von Le Fort’s own reflection on her current situation in Mazi, Germany.
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Fr Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss General Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire’s response to wars of religion. They reflect on Gertrude’s words that Mary wins battles not with a sword in hand, but a sword in her heart. Then they conclude that the Church as the bride of Christ is called to suffer with Christ.
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Diving into the second part of The Wedding of Magdeburg, Willigis seeks to broker peace between Magdeburg and the Holy Roman Empire. But his bride, Erdmuth, leaves him for a Swedish general Colonel Von Falkenberg. Willigis meets with General Tilly of the Holy Roman Empire and the two have a debate about the reason for the war and how best to secure peace between their two forces.
Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce continue with part one of The Wedding of Madgeburg by discussing the protestant minister’s wife, whom they believe is the model Christian and spouse in this novel, and the adultery of Erdmuth. Vivian ends by pointing out that those in authority must respect authority; otherwise, the act of rebelling against a higher power leads to a much larger rebellion against anyone with authority.
Starting with part one of The Wedding of Madgeburg, Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss one of the main themes of Gertrude Von Le Fort–the choice of being powerless before God. They highlight that every character has a choice to obey or disobey authorities that are often imperfect, wrong, or unlikeable.
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Fr. Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss the first English translation of Gertrude Von Le Fort’s The Wedding of Magdeburg. While she is more well-known for her book Song of the Scaffold, The Wedding of Magdeburg is arguably her best work. This historical fiction takes place during the Thirty Years War and touches on three important relationships: (1) the relationship between the city and the Holy Roman Empire, (2) the re...
In this last episode on Everlasting Man, Father Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce discuss Chesterton’s summary of the entire work. In particular, they highlight Chesterton’s reflections on the uniqueness of humans among God’s creation and how the nature of things reveal not only a final purpose but also a first cause–God.
*Note that there will be a one-week summer hiatus on 7/23/25, but the dynamic trio will return to discuss...
With the start of the fifth chapter of part two, Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro discuss Chesterton’s claim that Europe would be just like Asia if it were not for Christianity. They also reflect on Chesterton’s claim that Christianity is the answer to the problem of evil and superior to philosophy. Then they cover chapter 6, where Chesterton describes the five deaths of the faith where people expected that the Church wo...
In chapter 4 of the second part, Chesterton moves to a discussion of the Church and argues that those who claim that the Church is a mere human institution fall into absurd conclusions. Furthermore, Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro reflect on how the Church’s understanding of faith often comes as the result of errors and heresies.
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C.S. Lewis famously claimed that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or God, and in chapter two of section two of The Everlasting Man, Chesterton makes a similar argument. Father Fessio, Vivian Dudro, and Joseph Pearce reflect on Chesterton’s reducing to the absurd all opinions that claim that Jesus is other than what he says he is–God Himself.
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Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro begin the second section of Chesterton’s Everlasting Man and reflect on his words about the mystery of the Incarnation. They reflect on how we can become too familiar with the infancy narrative in which the God of cosmic creation now comes to us as a little, local infant. With Chesterton, they remark on the significance of Christ being born into a cave and the importance of myth.
After quickly wrapping up chapter seven, Fr. Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro jump into the climax of the book–chapter eight–where Chesterton talks about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. They discuss that even the greatest of human societies are bound to fall and that the more decadent one’s life becomes the more one desires to return to natural and simpler life.
Having covered monotheism and polytheism, Chesterton begins to cover religions that he calls “the demons” and “the philosophers” in chapter 6. Fr. Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph discuss how demonic acts are done because they know that they are known to be evil. They also reflect on how the pagan philosophers saw faith and reason as opposed whereas faith and reason are successfully unified in Christianity and the person of Christ. Lastl...
In chapter five of Everlasting Man, Father Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro discuss one of Chesterton’s most poetic chapters where he explains how myth is the work of the imagination and philosophy is a work of the intellect, but both did not fully come together until the myth became fact in the person of Jesus Christ.
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