On Jan. 5, we celebrate the Feast of St. John Neumann. (Not to be confused with St. John Henry Cardinal Newman).  St. John Neuman was born in Bohemia.  But inspired by church reports stating the need for priests in the United States, and inspired by a lecture on the missionary activities of Paul the Apostle, Neumann decided to devote his life to the missions. In preparation for this, he learned several languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian.  Neumann arrived in the United States on the feast of Corpus Christi, 183, and began his priestly ministry in Buffalo, New York, serving the German-speaking immigrants.  He served as both as a priest and as a school teacher. He was a gifted teacher beloved by his students.  For his priestly ministry, he was always on the move, traveling on foot or by horseback, often over swampy ground, from station to station, from house to house, in the biting cold of winter and the heat of summer, visiting the sick, aiding the dying, baptizing the newborn, instilling faith and zeal into the backsliders.

Rather than just working alone in parish ministry, Neumann decided he preferred to work with a religious community and so he joined the Redemptorist missionaries in 1840.  But in 1852 he was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia.  He shepherded the people of Philadelphia through changing and challenging times.  The industrial Revolution led laborers to flood the city looking for factory work.  Many of these laborers were immigrants from Germany, Italy, and Ireland, many of whom were Catholic.  Unfortunately, Philadelphia was also a stronghold of the “Know-Nothing” Political party, who were know for their anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic prejudices.  Thus, anti-Catholic riots and arson of Catholic buildings was something that Neumann had to deal with regularly.

While it was a time of challenge for Catholics, it was also an exciting time of great growth.  During Neumann’s administration, new parish churches were built nearly every month. To encourage savings and to support the financial needs of the Catholic community in Philadelphia, Neumann directed the creation of a mutual savings bank, Beneficial Bank, in 1853.  Neumann was particularly committed to providing educational opportunities to immigrant children. He became the first bishop to organize a diocesan school system, as Catholic parents wanted their children taught in the Catholic tradition.

Bishop Neumann was very loved by the Catholics of his diocese.  This was especially helped by his ability to speak all their languages.  What also endeared him to his people was his personal frugality.  He kept very little for himself, and whenever he was gifted vestments, he would often re-gift those to his priests and the parishes that needed them.  He died in 1860 and is entombed in a church in Philadelphia .  Now a canonized Saint, his works and labors have become an important part of the foundation and legacy of Catholicism in the United States.

St. John Neumann, pray for us!

Peace,

-Fr. Kevin