ssion indulgences should not
arrive there in time. But late on Saturday night, April 19, they were
received, much to the joy of the Fathers.

Here occurred a noteworthy coincidence. Watertown was at that time in
the diocese of Albany, of which Bishop McCloskey was then the
ordinary. He had received Father Hecker into the Church and had been
his first guide in the spiritual life, and now he was the first to
publicly welcome his brethren at the beginning of their new career.
The following is from a letter of his to Father Walworth in answer to
one announcing the recent changes:

"I am happy to hear that your difficulties have at length received
their solution, and in a manner, I presume, as satisfactory as you
could well expect. The future must now in great measure depend upon
yourselves. You will, of course, have difficulties to surmount and
prejudices to encounter, but I trust that with God's blessing your
new community when once organized will continue from day to day to
gain increased stability and strength, and be enabled to carry out
successfully all its laudable aims for the good of our holy religion.
The faculties already given you in this diocese you will not consider
as being withdrawn by the act of your separation from the
Redemptorist order, and there is nothing that I know of to interfere
with your proposed mission in Watertown."

During the mission at St. Bridget's--that is, in the first half of
the month of May--Father Hecker arrived in New York and measures were
at once taken for the practical organization of the new community.
Nothing was done hurriedly; a fair and full consideration of all
questions from every point of view, which lasted until early in the
month of July, enabled each one clearly to understand his new
relation in its every aspect. Father Walworth not being entirely in
agreement with the others, withdrew to the diocese of Albany and took
charge of a parish; he returned again in 1861, remaining with the
community till 1865, when his health becoming quite shattered, he
reluctantly decided to withdraw altogether. It need hardly be said
that the relations between him and the community have always been
most cordial. Meantime the others, Fathers Hecker, Hewit, Deshon, and
Baker, organized by electing the first-named the Superior, and drew
up and signed what was termed a Programme of Rule. This was submitted
to Archbishop Hughes and by him approved and signed on July 7, 1858.
The Apostle of t