Fr. Messner studied with the theological faculty of Bressanone and upon his ordination served in Tyrol as parish priest for six years, followed by a four year course of study of political economy and sociology at Munich. His studies led him to degrees in law and public economy. Along with German Jesuits Gustav Gundlach and Oswald von Nell-Breuning, Messner became the principle representative of the “realist” school of Christian social doctrine in Austria.