PASTOR’S NOTES

In a most appropriate acknowledgement of the Year for Priests a parishioner reminded us that this weekend marks the fifteenth anniversary of the ordination of Father Eric Andrews. How grateful we are that this parish vocation returns often to celebrate the Eucharist with us!

This priest of God is a member of the Paulist Community. His choice of the Order seems to have been a natural fit. As one who had worked in the field of media he joined a group who have enjoyed a wonderful reputation in proclaiming the Gospel through means of publishing, film making, and broadcasting. Additionally, they have been heavily involved in campus ministry directing Newman Clubs in some of our largest universities. They are also helpful to many dioceses as parish priests. In our neighborhood Good Shepherd Parish was guided by them. In fact, I was baptized there and though we belonged to another parish we went to the priests of Good Shepherd for confessions. (I might note at this point that the Paulist Fathers are also well-known preachers of parish missions.  Next November to prepare for the annual celebration of our patron, Saint Stanislaus Kostka we will welcome Fr. John Collins to give us a three night retreat. Yes, he is one of the guys from the old neighborhood. His parents were close friends of my parents.)

It might have some value to reflect on the origins of this religious community. Its founder Isaac Thomas Hecker was born in New York City on December 18, 1819. From his youth he was engaged in manual labor in a bakery. But he never neglected the intellectual life. The two meshed in his participation in various labor movements. At the same time Isaac nurtured his spiritual life by engaging in literary pursuits and conversations with various luminaries. Most significant was his relationship with Orestes Brownson. A man who had had similar concepts to Isaac’s, he became an ernest convert to Catholicism. His thoughtful encouragement brought Hecker to the baptismal font where he was welcomed into the church by Bishop John McCloskey, a future cardinal of New York. He soon felt called to the priesthood by another figure of Victorian fame. Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman, the first Archbishop of Westminster, ordained him as a member of the Redemptorist Order. His missionary spirit, American enthusiasm, and personal holiness put him into conflict with his Roman superiors. But he had the support of many in the United States episcopate as well as the prefect of the Propaganda de Fide (this congregation was directly responsible for the Church’s life in America). As a result, Pius IX, recently beatified by Pope John Paul II, gave permission to form a new religious community in 1858. Archbishop Hughes gave them Saint Paul the Apostle as their first parish. The earliest members of the Order bringing converts from Protestantism, began preaching to vast audiences of non-Catholic Christians. In 1865, as the Civil War ended, Father Hecker launched the Catholic World magazine.

A year later, he founded the Catholic Publication Society now known as the Paulist Press. In 1870 he attended the First Vatican Council as the theological consultant of Bishop Gibbons of North Carolina. Following its session, the Paulist founder wrote an essay describing the work of the Holy Spirit in the renewal of both church and state.  Hecker’s theology foreshadowed the interest of the Second Vatican Council in the role of the Holy Spirit and the advent of the charismatic movement. The last years of his life were marked by serious physical illness, bouts of depression and spiritual “dark nights of the soul”. Through his struggles his spirit found renewed strength. He died on December 22, 1888 in Manhattan. Our own Edward Michael Cardinal Egan formally opened his cause for canonization on January 25, 2008. He is now known as a Servant of God.
   As the twentieth century began the young community still hearing the words of their founder: “Our religious needs are    our deepest needs. There is no peace till they are satisfied and contented. The attempt to stifle them is in vain. If their    cry be drowned by the noise of the world, they do not cease     to exist. They must be answered;” and “Religion is the answer to that cry of reason which nothing can silence, the aspiration of the soul which no created thing can meet that wont of the heart which all creation cannot supply;” began serving young people in campus ministry. They did so to  safeguard the faith of young Catholics. Following the Second World War when the G. I. Bill allowed veterans to afford a college education, state university campuses multiplied and Paulist presence on the American campus increased.

Today the Paulists are committed to evangelization of the unchurched, reconciliation of alienated Catholics, and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. These Paulist mission directions are consistent with the vision of their founder and the call of the bishops who met in council under Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. They open up the faith and morals of the church to exploration by those outside the communion while inviting, reconciling, and renewing alienated Catholics and communicate the Gospel through the means of the age. As a student I recall many days watching Insight films produced by this religious community. Their efforts were so professional that they drew well-known professional actors to perform their scripts. You haven’t lived till you see Bob Newhart playing God.It is into this dedicated group of God’s servants that Fr. Andrews entered. After serving in the University of Tennessee parish ministry and the Board of Consultors for the Bishop of Knoxville, he had been called to the presidency of Paulist Productions in Pacific Heights, California. The former Muppet employee will continue to serve the Church, her mission, and the vision of Isaac Hecker.As he had said: “We want to reach out pastorally to the community in Hollywood, which is a very different place from the past. The technology is different, the networks are different. It has changed.” We, as a church, should be confident in this son of Isaac Hecker and Pleasant Valley to create stories of faith and inspiration.

 Pray for him, his conferees, and all priests who celebrate this month their unity with Christ the High Priest.

Vivat Jesus,

Fr. Brian