'We have a servant of God!'

View scenes from the Jan. 27 mass celebrating the opening of Father Hecker's cause for canoniziaton.

photos in slide show:       

by Stefani Manowski

It definitely was not your ordinary Sunday Mass.

As bright January sunlight illuminated the Manhattan skyline and crisp winds blew through the streets of the Upper West Side, a different kind of glow was radiating from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle as the cause for canonization in the Roman Catholic Church was formally opened for Paulist Fathers founder Father Isaac Thomas Hecker.

More than 1,000 Paulists, Paulist Associates, St. Paul's parishioners and Paulist friends filled the majestic 150-year-old church Jan. 27 to witness Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York formally open Father Hecker's cause during the 10 a.m. Mass and celebrate the parish's sesquicentennial anniversary.

“I am delighted to be a part of the opening of the cause of Father Isaac Hecker and to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this wonderful community of faith,” Cardinal Egan said in his remarks at the beginning of the liturgy. “May we very soon have the pleasure of the canonization of Servant of God Father Isaac Hecker. It is not only a joy but a privilege to be here today.”

The Spirit-filled Mass and ceremony began at Father Hecker's tomb, located in the back of the church. The St. Paul's Choir filled the air with song, followed by Cardinal Egan leading a prayer before the tomb and sprinkling it with holy water before processing with the approximately 40 Paulists gathered to the altar.

During the homily spoken in English and Spanish, Cardinal Egan recalled that the first ordination he performed was at St. Paul's.

“I won't forget the glorious church of Isaac Hecker, St. Paul the Apostle,” he said. “We are not only blessed to have this church and this great community of faith, but to have the example of Isaac Hecker, a hero of our faith”

“Father Hecker is truly a saint for our day,” Cardinal Egan continued. “We think of saints of people who went through life without challenges and without hurt. That changes with Isaac Hecker. … He is a saint like us: a saint who has suffered, a saint who made his way through life bearing crosses with a tremendous faith.”

Speaking of the need for vocations in the church, the cardinal said he hoped the opening of Father Hecker's cause would “cause more people to examine the life of Isaac Hecker, a priestly life, a religious life.”

After the conclusion of the Mass, the congregation was treated to an experience not usually made public – the ceremony formally opening Father Hecker's cause.

“This usually done in a diocesan office, so it is wonderful that it will be performed here in the context of a Mass,” Cardinal Egan said.

St. Paul's pastor Father Gilbert Martinez, C.S.P., began the ceremony with introductory remarks, followed by a reading of the formal petition to open Father Hecker's cause by Father Paul G. Robichaud, C.S.P., postulator of the cause. Cardinal Egan accepted the petition and began the oaths of office for those working for the cause by first taking his own.

“I, Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, swear to fulfill faithfully my duties regarding the diocesan inquiry in regard to the life and virtues of Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker and to maintain the secrecy prescribed. So help me God,” he said.

Father John Foley, C.S.P., took a similar oath as notary for the cause; Father Robichaud as postulator; and Father Ronald A. Franco, C.S.P., as vice postulator.

At the end of the ceremony, Paulist President Father John F. Duffy remarked that a Catholic America was the dream and passion of Father Hecker.

“It was through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and with the example of St. Paul that he wanted to meet the needs of the church in the modern age,” he said. “We hope one of the immediate effects of the opening of the cause will be to inspire others to the spiritual nourishment we receive through the example of this great man.”

“May we thank God for the vision of Isaac Hecker, and may we be ever committed to carry on the legacy of this servant of God,” he said.

After the Mass, the congregation was treated to a reception in the back of the church, and people could be heard remarking: “Wow! We have a Servant of God!” … “This is incredible!” and “What a glorious day!”

Father Duffy described the feeling as a “mood of euphoria.”

“The inspiration of this man, the lives he is touching right now and the lives he will come to touch in the future as the Paulist ministry continues is astounding,” he said. “The Paulist ministry is as alive and relevant now as it was in 1858.”

At the end of his remarks, Cardinal Egan prayed that Father Hecker would be “raised to the holy altar as an example to each and every one of us.”

“The sky is blue, the sun is shining and all is well at St. Paul the Apostle,” he said. “Isaac Hecker, pray for us.”

Want to know Father Hecker better? Read his biography here.

The Paulist 150th anniversary year formally began with the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, log on to www.paulist.org for news and updates on national celebrations, including the 150th Anniversary Convocation in Washington, D.C., and celebrations at Paulist foundations throughout North America.


Read past Paulist Profiles here