St. John Neumann

Feast Day January 5th

Patron Saint of sick children and of immigrants, Catholic Schools

Known for a lifetime of pastoral work, especially among poor German immigrants, Bishop John Neumann was the fourth bishop of Philadelphia and the first American man to be named saint.

Neumann was born in Prachatice, Bohemia, in modern-day Czech Republic. He attended school in Budweis before entering seminary there in 1831. Two years later he transferred to the University of Prague, where he studied theology. He was also interested in astronomy and botany. He intended to be ordained, but his bishop, in 1835, decided there would be no more ordinations, as Bohemia had a high number of priests already.

Neumann then wrote to other bishops in Europe, but they all replied that they also had too many priests already. He was inspired by the missionary writings of Bishop Frederic Baraga in America, and because he had learned English by working in a factory with English-speaking workers, Neumann wrote to bishops in America, requesting to be ordained in the United States. In 1836, he arrived in the United States with very little money, and was ordained to the priesthood there. He was assigned by the Bishop of New York to work with recent German immigrants in mission churches in the Niagara Falls area. Father John Neumann devoted himself to the pastoral care of all the outlying places in the parish of Buffalo for four years. From his headquarters near Buffalo, he made frequent journeys on foot in all kinds of weather to points ten or twenty miles distant, visiting the settlers on their scattered farms. After four years of service there, he came to realize the importance of communal activity in his work. He thus applied to the Redemptorists. He was accepted, and entered the novitiate of the order in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In January, 1842, he took the vows to enter the order in Baltimore, Maryland, and became the first Redemptorist in the New World. After six years of difficult but fruitful work with the order, he was appointed the order’s Provincial Superior in the United States. Neumann was naturalized as a citizen of the United States in Baltimore on February 10, 1848.

In March 1852, Neumann was consecrated in Baltimore, as Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bishop Neumann was the first in the United States to introduce the Forty Hours Devotion in his diocese. From the beginning, he promoted the establishment of parochial schools. He was the first to organize a Catholic diocesan school system and increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from one to two hundred. He also introduced the School Sisters of Notre Dame to the New World to assist in religious instruction and staffing the orphanage.

Neumann’s fluency in several languages endeared him to the many new immigrant communities in Philadelphia. As well as ministering to newcomers in his native German, Neumann also spoke Italian fluently. A growing congregation of Italian-speakers received pastoral care in his private chapel, and Neumann eventually established in Philadelphia the first Italian national parishes in the country. Bishop Neumann also learned Gaelic in order to hear confessions of the Irish. The large diocese was not wealthy, and Neumann became known for his personal frugality. He kept and wore only one pair of boots throughout his residence in the United States. When given a new set of vestments as a gift, he would often use them to outfit the newest ordained priest in the diocese.

Neumann wrote in many Catholic newspapers and magazines. He also published two catechisms and a Bible history in German. There were also many teaching orders brought in by him. As a bishop, Neumann was untiring in visiting his vast diocese. Bishop Neumann’s particular contribution was the scheduling of Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion in all parishes on a diocesan basis.

Though Bishop Neumann had suffered from frequent illnesses, his sudden death in 1860, at the age of 48, was wholly unexpected. Saint John Neumann was well-known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching, and he never lost his love and concern for the people. The cause of his beautification was begun in 1886, and ten years later, he received the title of “Venerable.”

Canonized in 1977, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia. In the homily on the occasion of Neumann’s canonization, Pope Paul VI summarized the activity of the new saint: “He was close to the sick, he loved to be with the poor, he was a friend of sinners, and now he is the glory of all emigrants.”

Sources:

_{https://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/J/stjohnneumann.asp
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-neumann/
http://www.catholicity.com/prayer/prayers-and-hymns-by-john-henry-cardinal-newman.html
http://www.stjohnneumann.org/life.html}