Born in New York City in 1819, Isaac Hecker grew up in a
German-Methodist household. He would stick with this religion only until
his teenage years, when he started to distance himself from the
Christian denomination.
At the time Hecker was more interested in work and politics, though
he still considered himself a Christian. Together with his two brothers,
Hecker devoted all of his time to a political campaign during 1837.
However, the campaign failed and left Hecker with a sour taste for
politics.
He continued to struggle with God’s plan for his life, and tried to
search for his place in the world. At first he turned to philosophy and
studied such figures as Hegel and Kant. Then in 1842 Hecker started to
have mystical visions. He wrote about one such heavenly vision that changed his approach to the world.
I saw (I cannot say I dreamt for it was quite different from dreaming since I was seated on the side of my bed) a beautiful angelic, pure being and myself standing alongside of her, feeling a most heavenly pure joy. And it was if our bodies were luminous and they gave forth a moon-like light, which I felt sprang from the joy that we experienced.
The vision only made him more restless and he turned to a popular
Christian preacher and philosopher at the time named Orestes Brownson.
Brownson mentored Hecker for several years, but then started to question
his own religion and began investigating the Catholic Church.
Influenced by Brownson’s change of direction, Hecker also researched
the Catholic Church and felt drawn to it. Through a series of events and
encounters, Hecker felt God calling him to be a Catholic priest.
In the meantime Brownson converted to the Catholic faith, marking the
final straw in Hecker’s search for God. Hecker met with a local bishop
who helped him make the final leap of faith.
After a few weeks of religious instruction Hecker was baptized in the
Catholic Church in 1844. He wrote afterwards, “The Catholic Church is
my star, which will lead me to my life, my destiny, my purpose.”
Hecker eventually joined the Redemptorists and was ordained a priest
in 1849. After spending several years abroad, Hecker returned to New
York City and gave parish missions across the nation. He was an
excellent preacher, attracting thousands of people wherever he went.
A few years later Hecker felt called to establish a new Redemptorist
house in America. His request was denied and his apparent “disobedience”
resulted in an expulsion from the order. At first he fought the
expulsion in Rome, but then discussed with the Holy Father the founding
of a new order that would work for the conversion of America.
Upon his return to the United States in 1858 Hecker gathered his
friends and established the Missionary Priests of St. Paul the Apostle,
more commonly known as the Paulists. It was a new congregation devoted
to preaching missions and featured an apostolate to non-Catholics.
For the rest of his life Hecker devoted himself to preaching and
spreading the Gospel through the modern means of technology. He died on
December 22, 1888, in Manhattan.
Hecker’s extraordinary life inspired many after his death, and his
cause for canonization was officially opened on January 25, 2008.
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