Our 160th Anniversary

July 7, 2018

Today is the 160th anniversary of the day Archbishop John Hughes of New York made the Paulist Fathers official.

On July 7, 1858, Archbishop Hughes approved our “rule,” the set of internal guidelines for a religious community in the Church.

This was preceded by Pope Pius IX’s decree on March 6, 1858, in which he gave his blessing to the idea of Fr. Isaac Hecker and his associates starting a new missionary society of Catholic priests in the United States.

From Paulist Fr. Tom Gibbons’ 2017 documentary film “Isaac Hecker and the Journey of Catholic America,” here is a brief look at our early years:

(The complete documentary can be watched on Amazon or Vimeo.)

Read Paulist Fr. Ron Franco’s blog post for more details on today’s anniversary.

Please pray for us during this anniversary year!


To make a financial gift toward our mission and ministries in honor of our 160th anniversary, please visit our giving portal.