Isaac Thomas Hecker writes to Thoreau, which begins:
My interest in your greatest welfare compels me to write you a few lines, perhaps they may aid you in your progress. I have found my centre and of course my place in the Roman Catholic Church. This gives me the peace and liberty which have long been the object of my persuit. I have come to this result not as one who is ignorant or worse who has an erroneous idea of the C. Church would suppose, by being false to my nature, no, but by being true, true to my highest aspirations and ideal. My ideal is real, or rather the ideal of humanity is the R. C. Church. I can readily conceive that those who know not what the Church is, will smile at this statement. But I repeat it. The Catholic Church is the ideal of every individual of the race, the universal ideal of humanity. It is for her communion the hearts of men sigh, it is for her perfection their souls aspire, she is the inspiration of humanity. Let those my friend smile who wish. Your singularities so called in your uncatholic community, and not only yours, are to a catholic so many proofs of this assertion. They are the evidences of the secret workings of that life which will and eventually must, so that you remain true, bring you into the unity of the one, holy, catholic Church. Be true O my friend! for all my hopes of ever meeting you depend upon my confidence in your fidelity, heroic fidelity. Be true the catholic Church is one and universal, take what road you will you will arrive into the bosom of her who is destined to receive the human race entire. Be true, for your ideal is real, divine, and means more than you are now aware of. (The Correspondence (2013, Princeton), 1:295-8)
