Paulist Fathers - Hecker and The Early Years

Hecker and The Early Years

Servant of God Isaac Hecker, a convert to Catholicism, who was originally a Priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), as were all the founding members of the Paulists, wanted to create an institute of priests that could evangelize to the people of North America in ways that would be more effective than the previous methods. Hecker’s notion of what constituted ‘more effective’ means or techniques of evangelization brought him into conflict with the leadership of the Redemptorist community, which ultimately resulted in him being expelled. Hecker was supported by Redemptorist Fathers George Deshon, Augustine Hewit, Francis Baker, and Clarence Walworth, who were themselves converts to Catholicism from the Episcopal Church and were influenced significantly by the Oxford Movement. Hecker and his companions were soon after dispensed from their Redemptorist vows and were granted permission to found the Paulist Fathers in 1858 as the Missionary Priests of Saint Paul the Apostle, in honor of Paul of Tarsus, by Pope Pius IX.

The Paulists got their start in the Archdiocese of New York, establishing their headquarters in a parish on 59th Street appropriately named Church of St. Paul the Apostle, granted them by Archbishop John Hughes. Hecker conceived the Paulists to be a smaller community with a specific missionary focus. From their headquarters in New York City, they began their task of performing missionary work to non-Catholics. With the outbreak of the American Civil War the northern based Paulists were compelled to cancel their southern missions.

Archbishop Hughes appealed to West Point graduate George Deshon to serve as a chaplain to a New York Brigade, but given that the Paulists were a newly created community and were so few in number, Father Deshon declined. During the New York Draft Riots of 1863 the Paulists attempted to dissuade people from violence, but only marginally succeed as efforts were hampered when Father Augustine Hewit was wounded in such an effort.

In 1866, under Hecker's guidance, the Paulist Press was created, thus adding the use of the written word to the Paulist mission. In 1870, a magazine for Catholic youth, The Young Catholic, was also created. In 1875, the first Paulist missionaries set sail for California; other missions quickly followed in Rhode Island, Kentucky, Michigan, and as far north as Quebec. The Paulists gained a reputation as effective preachers, particularly in New York, and this fostered their appeal amongst parish priests. In 1925, they created their own radio station in New York, WLWL. Beginning around 1935, the Paulists outfitted motor trailers as chapels and began a series of missions to more rural areas such as in South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.