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Retired ����AV chaplain Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J. continues to grow his bibliography — even at the age of 99 years — with his latest book: , a biography of Ignatius Press’s bold and beloved founder.

“This biography owes its origin to the day when … the president of Ignatius Press asked me to compose something publishable about the Jesuit who began the Press in 1978 and whose presence continues to hover over it advantageously to the present time,” Fr. Buckley says in the book’s preface.

A work many years in the making, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J.: California Blackrobe tells the Jesuit’s story in full for the first time. The biography follows Fr. Fessio’s spontaneous entrance into the Society of Jesus, his studies under three of the greatest minds in 20^th century Catholic theology, and the founding of the University of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Institute and Ignatius Press. Fr. Buckley chronicles his mentor’s story with his signature wit and attention to detail. He seamlessly intersperses key moments of Fr. Fessio’s life with glimpses into the Catholic institutions and anecdotes that give the reader a deeper, almost personal connection to this passionate, determined man who had such a great impact on the American Catholic Church. 

“My personal memories of past events have a large part in recounting this saga of Father Jospeh Fessio,” Fr. Buckley writes. “Conversations also contributed greatly in weaving together the Fessio drama, particularly my James Boswell-like exchanges with the Samuel Johnson-esque founder of Ignatius Press.”

The author and translator of some 10 books — most notably, When Jesuits Were Giants: Louis-Marie Ruellan, S.J. (1846-1885) and Contemporaries  — and countless published articles, Fr. Buckley holds a doctorate from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, the alma mater of Sts. Thomas Aquinas and Ignatius of Loyola. A World War II Navy veteran, he spent most of his life with young Catholics as a teacher, administrator, chaplain, and friend. From 2004 to 2021, he served as ����AV’s chaplain and was an integral and beloved member of the community. He now resides at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California.