Isaac Hecker: An American Catholic by David J. O'Brien

In the first full-length biography of Hecker, a 19th-century priest and mystic, O'Brien plumbs the depth of Hecker's evangelical view that America should become Catholic and that absolutely all human life should be brought under the direction of God's holy spirit. O'Brien captures the innocence and confused excitement of the young seeker as he sets out on a course that takes him through the transcendentalist themes of the time. Finding that philosophy could pose, but not answer, the fundamental questions of life, Hecker was driven to Catholicism and formed a congregation devoted to converting non-Catholics to Catholicism. In their evangelical efforts, the Congregation of the Missionary Priests of St. Paul the Apostle (the Paulists) explore reason, free will, and human dignity through such publications as Catholic World . O'Brien effectively depicts the exterior of this many-faceted, introverted, activist priest. Recommended for scholarly collections.

From Library Journal (1992)