ifficulties, and conflicts. In all my Catholic life I have not
experienced oppression and anxiety of mind in such a degree as I have
for these ten days past."

March 6: "So far from my devotion to religion being diminished by
recent events, it has, thank God, greatly increased; but many other
things have been changed in me. On many new points my intelligence
has been awakened; experience has dispelled much ignorance, and on
the whole I hope that my faith and heart have been more purified. If
God spares my life to return, I hope to come back more a man, a
better Catholic, and more entirely devoted to the work of God."

The following is from a copy of a letter to Father de Held dated
November 2: "One thing my trials have taught me, and this is the one
thing important--to love God more. It almost seems that I did not
know before what it is to love Him."

When it became evident that the Holy See would decide the case so as
to make it necessary for the Fathers to form a new society, Father
Hecker did not accept even this as a final indication of Providence
that external circumstances had made it possible for him to realize
his long-cherished dreams of an American apostolate; for he was at
liberty still to refuse. He redoubled his prayers. His pilgrimage to
the shrine of St. Alphonsus is already known to the reader; he caused
a novena of Masses to be said at the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual
Help in the Redemptorist Church in Rome; he said Mass himself at all
the great shrines, especially the Confession of St. Peter, the altar
of St. Ignatius and that of St. Philip Neri; he earnestly entreated
all his friends, old ones at home and new-found ones in Rome, to join
with him in his prayers for light.

He furthermore took measures to obtain the counsel of wise and holy
men. Every one whom he thought worthy of his confidence was asked for
an opinion. Finally he drew up a formal document, known in this
biography as the Roman Statement, and already familiar by reference
and quotation, and placed it in the hands of the three religious
whose names, in addition to those of Cardinal Barnabo and Archbishop
Bedini, appear at the end of the extract we make from its original
draft. It opens with a summary of his conversion, entrance into
religion, and missionary life, and embraces a full enough statement
of the trouble with the General of the order--a matter of notoriety
at the time in the city of Rome. He then describes his own interio