The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-02-05

his attendance at Mass on Easter Sun
day, 1s4s, at the Catholic Church at
West Roxbury, and his resultant i1p-
pressions, testify wonderfully to the
rapid progress which pure and earn
est soul must unconsciously make to-
wards tile truth.
Later, young Hecker spent some tirne
at Fruitlands, and came into close re-
lation with A. Bronson Alcott, the fam
GUS Concord philosopher" of whom he
wrote on his death, in 1888: "He was
great natural man."
The young German-American-f
this he was as surely as any son OF
Irish immigrant parents is an Irish
American-was for some time kept
away from the Catholic Church by the
fear that she was q species Of exotic
on this soil! He himself felt as Amer
ican as Plymouth Rock or Bunker Hill
but he did not vet understand that
other American Catholics feel just the
same.
He inpartially tried the various Pro-
testant denominations but found moth
ing to his liking. He had an interview
with Archbishop Hughes of New York.
but did not apparently get on with this
militant churchman and patriot the
first time. Bishop Fenwick of Boston,
nf CoiE11io E1o
his young Coadjutor Bishop F1tzpat-
rick. were simpler to ernest the Seek
err" as Curtis had long ago dubbed
him. He made a brief visit with the
Jesuit Fathers at Holy Cross College,
Worcester. Then young Hecker went
back to New York, and on August /,
1874, received conditional baptism at
the hands Of Archbishop Hughes Coad-
jutor, Bishop McCloskey, afterwards
Archbishop of New York and the first
American Cardinal.
Archbishop Hughes and Bishop Nc
Closlsey would have been pleased to
see tke young convert enter the di-
ocesan priesthood, but the Redemptor-
list community was his choice, and as
a member ef it, he was prepared for the
priesthood, and ordained in London by
Bishop@-uftesWnrds Cardinal wiseman
ON October 2sstss4s4e aaa. The Revs
Clarence 2 Wallworth and Augustine
F.. Hawit, converts both, were his com
panions, as was also for a time James
A. MacMaster, who was found to have
no prlestlv vocation, but who served
religion woll as editor OF the New York
Frecrran's Journal. The way in which
| this little group of American converts
| parted company with the Redemptor.
lists, and started community of thei.
own Is; fully and fairly told in the Life
above mentioned.
But let us get back to Father Hecke1
and New England. He had known
Emerson and Alcott His reminis.
ences Of them are delightful-and il
some cases funny. Here, however, is
something little different:
years later, during the war;" writes
Father Hecker, IT went to Concord t.
lecture and wanted Emerson to ge,
me hail. lie refused.
"Alcott promised that he would, bu1
he did not, and I think Emerson
dissuaded him. After time, however
a priest, a church, and a congregation
Of sore six or seven hundred Catholic.
grew up in Concord, and I was invited
to lecture, and went. The priest at
tended another station that Sunday
and said the Mass and meant to Civ,
a honily by way Of sermon. But as
was going to the altar, all vested fo
the Mass, two men came into my soul
one, the man who livsd in that villae,
in former years, blind man gropin,
about for light, g soul with every prob
lem unsolved; the other, a man full o
light, with every problem solved, tn
universe ard the reason of his existenc
known as they actually are. Well
there were those two men in my soul
had 10 gee rid Of them, so preache,
them off to the people. Some wep,
some laughed, all We're deeply moved
That hight came the lecture. It raine,
pitchforks end pineapples. but the hal
large ons. was completely filled. Mul
titudes Of Yankees were there. Emer
son was absent, but Alcott was presen,
why I became a Catholic was tn
subject. l5ut as was about to begir
up came these two men again, and 70
the life Of me, I couldn't help flrin
them OFF at the audience. The mex
day met Emerson on the street, an
We h"d little talk together" Th
latter, however,, was not comfortable.
Fruitlands and the Concord schoc
of Philosophy arc gone, and Broo
Farm "a Il Catholic cemetery. Fathe
Hecker has gone to his reward, bu
the Pauli&ts live after him, and hi