individual life runs into eccentricity, license, and revolution, that
is a violation and sacrifice of the community life."

"The duty of the Paulist Superior is to elicit the spontaneous zeal
of the Fathers and to further it with his authority. For lack of
one's own initiative that of another may be used, and herein the
Superior offers a constant help. But the centre of action is
individual, is in the soul moved by the Holy Ghost; not in the
Superior of the community or in the authorities of the Church. And if
he be moved by the Holy Spirit, he will be most obedient to his
superior; and he will not only be submissive to the authority of the
Church, but careful to follow out her spirit."

In explaining the routine of daily life Father Hecker said: "The
member of a community who does not make the common exercises [of
religion] his first care is derelict of his duty. A common exercise
should be preferred to all other devotional practices or occupations
whatever; as far as possible all other exercises ought to be made
subordinate to common ones, which should never be omitted without
permission of the superior."

Father Hecker was once asked: "Which would you prefer: to have a rule
and manner of life adapted to a large number of men, embracing many
of a uniform type, men good enough for average work, intended to
include and seeking to retain persons of mediocre spirit, and having
a dim understanding of our peculiar institute? or would you prefer
the rule to be made only for a select body, composed of such men as
----and ----, and the like?'" [Answer:] "I should prefer the rule to
be made for the smaller and more select body of men. Religious
vocations are not common, but special. It is a fatal mistake for
religious to take the place of secular priests."

No one can be misled by what he has read in the foregoing pages into
the notion that Father Hecker had any other aim than the entire
consecration of liberty and intelligence to the influence of the Holy
Spirit. To know Father Hecker well was to be more deeply impressed
with his longing for the reign of the Spirit of God in men's souls
than even with his love of human liberty. In his esteem the worth of
the latter was altogether in proportion to its aptitude for the
former. His love of liberty was that of a means to an end--the
perfect oblation of the inner man to God. He aimed at individuality
because of his belief in the action of the Holy Ghost in the
individual soul.