Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-12-12
FATHER ISAAC HECKER
FOUNDER OF SOCIETY
Brief Sketch OF Celebrated Priest
Who Organized Paulist Fathers
i'm New York.
HIS MOTHER WAS METHODIST
Work Of Body Has Been Largely
Devoted to Explaining Doctrines
OF Catholic Church in United
States and Abroad.

States and Abroad.
In Wow Of the mission for uon-Cath-
oiics at the Sacred Heart Cathedral
some account OF the career II the foun-
der Of the Paui!st community. tho ccle-
irated Father Isaac r Locker. may
b" Of interest. lie was born in New
York city. December IS. 1919. OF GER
man lutheran parents, a!t';o ugh his
mother later became a Methodist.
As boy he was Obliged to leave
school early. and worked from the age
OF twelve 10 seventeen years in his
, brothers bakery III Rutgers street
From his earliest days his was Of a re-
( markabiy religious disposition. lie
was earnestly Interested in social
! questions. and from his acquaintance
with Dr.. orestes \. BrownS0n. of Dc
troit. ut that time a Unitarian minis.
ter, he received his first Impulse to
study deeply into the mctaphy siCal as
poet of religion. A. a youth he read
Kant. Fichte and IIeccl. at his dough
trough. and gradually the daily con
tact With commercial scliishncss
weancd him from the world II" wrote
about 1870: The hcathen!sh selfshncss
OF business competition started me
away from the world"
HE QUITS III SINESS
FOR nROOk FARM
During visit 10 Brownsou. at Chel-
sea. near Boston. he wrote home to his
. brothers In New York that nc found it
I Impossible 10 continue with them in
business. and that ON Rrownson's sue-
gestion he intended to 90 to Brook
/ Farm
There iiecl<cr went in January. 1919
Everyone knows the object OF that
idea! communicate establish Il new
order OF society which should be free
from social wrongs. Here Hccller met
GcorG" Ripley, Thorcau. George Will
I l'ullcr. and host OF others. hui he did
not find the satisfaction IF the re-
liSious cravings Of his mind and heart
which looked for certainty and dcnni-
tivencss OF teachings. and n" yearned
for higher religious life than they
We're able to offer His stay at Fruit
lands, another ideal community was
equally unsatisfactory.
Finally the Catholic Churcr engaged
his attentions He spoke to men like
the celebrated Archbishop Hughes OF
New York, Bishop Fitzpatrick, Of Eos-
ton. and later TO Bishop McCloskey, af-
terwnrd the first American Cardinal
lie read extensively, and prayed much
10 God for the light Of truth He led
the life of an ascetic OF the desert.
restricting himself in his eating to
nuts. apples and bread
Hcckcr Joined the Catholic Church
in 1874, The mans intense love OF God
can he seen in his letters and diary
i feel the presence OF God wherever
am. | would knecl and praise God
in all plcaces. In Ills presence walk
and feel His breath encompass me.
NJ soul is borne up by Ills presence.
and my heart is filled with His m
fmcnce How thankful ought we TO he,
low humble and submissive Let us
Jay our heads on the pillow OF peace.
and die pcacefuliy ir the embrace Of
God
wished IIeckcr 10 become a priest, but
me did not as yet feel any divine va
cation to the ministry. About this
time he met one of the Rettrmptorist
Fathers, ana At their hous, formed Tie
hcnuaintanc" of young lawyer. Clar-
cnce y. Waiworth. son OF the distin-
IuishGd Chancellor of New York. ana
lanes y. McMastcr. later on the editor
OF Frcemans Journal Soon after hay
ing determined To enter the Redc,np-
toriSt novit!ate, we find him embark
Ing for London with his two friends
and thence iourncying TO the nonotiatc
of 81 Trona in Belgium. After talk
ing his vows and making his studies
he WAS ordained priest in London on
October -, IHi9. by Bishop later car
dinal WiScman
SOCIETY," AIMS TO
EXPLAIN DOCTRINES
Ia ISL he returned to New York
tlt! ana Tor the next six years laborcd
as a Rcdcmptorist. Meanwhile he
wrote his Questions of the Soul and
Inspirations of Nature" besides civ
Ing missions to Catholics in every port
Of the ~ TED States With him were
associated Fathers Walworth, Hewitt.
Deshon and Baker, all Americans. who
;,ftcrward were his associates in found
ing the raulist community.
y cont coVcr>@> arising as to tho de
tails OF missionary work Iotbcr
IIcckcr went IL Rome to appeal :hc
case To the general OF the order. While
There. under advice .of Cardinal Bar
rabo and distinguished men Of sew
cial religious orders. he determined.
with the permission. of Pope Plus IN.
to inauguratc the missionary soclety of
st. Paul the Apostle, known every
where throughout the United States
and Europe az the Paulist Fathers
their headquarters being st. P1urs
Church, New York City
For the past fifty years the. Paulist
Fathers have given missions to Catho-.
lies In nearly hn the large cities from
Boston to san Francisco. ami fro.n
Montreal to the Gulf >The chief ann
o. their society, however. is to ex-
plain in every way posslble-by SER
mons. conferences and the press-thc
doctrines OF tho Catholic Church.