Isaac Hecker and the Making of Saints

Father Isaac Hecker was a holy man who inspired people to come to know God more deeply and to trust more completely in the gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells within the soul. From his early childhood to his death at the age of sixty nine, Father Hecker sought to deepen his personal experience of God and believed that what he experienced could serve as an example to others. His writings center on the spiritual search that all of us make, if we open our hearts to God's grace. In addition, Father Hecker had a particular concern for how that search for God occurs in North America with its complex culture and needs.

There have always been spiritual followers of Father Hecker, beginning with the society he founded and the members of the parochial communities where the Paulists have served. Father Hecker has inspired converts, authors, priests, bishops and other religious. His belief in an active American Catholicism that uniquely contributes to the larger church and his promotion of devotion to the Holy Spirit, are powerful ideas that are very much a part of the American church. The Paulist Fathers seek to extend and promote his reputation for sanctity among the Catholic faithful, believing that his life is a model of holiness for others to follow and that his teaching offers substantial guidance for seekers who wish to know God more deeply, especially through the action of the Holy Spirit.

We have requested that Cardinal Egan of New York open an investigation into Father Hecker's reputation for sanctity though his life, writing and preaching. This is the first stage towards canonization. In addition to investigating his reputation for sanctity, we seek his intercession, a sign that Father Hecker is in heaven. Please ask for Father Hecker to assist us, especially when we have prayer requests that have very serious consequences.

We hope to formally open Father Hecker's cause in 2008, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Paulist Fathers. As his cause develops, we will keep you informed.

Father Paul Robichaud CSP
Office of the Cause of Father Hecker
3015 Fourth Street N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20017-1102