Daily Saint

St. John Neumann traveled overseas for 40 days to serve as a shepherd for immigrants, a champion of Catholic education, and the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. St. John was a zealous teacher of the Faith, a humble servant of the impoverished masses, and a courageous defender of justice.

Born on March 28, 1811, in Bohemia, St. John Neumann had a love for learning from childhood. He studied at Budweis Seminary and then at the University of Prague, where he excelled in all his studies.

Neumann spoke German and Czech from childhood and later studied Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and Spanish. He wanted to learn English, but his school did not offer it, so he taught himself using books and practiced English with the workers from various regions who spoke English.

St. John had a desire to do missionary work in America. After preparing to be ordained a priest, many in his class were not immediately ordained because his bishop decided there were “too many priests.” Undeterred, St. John decided to go to America and arrived in New York with little money and no assurance that the diocese could use him.

Desperate for a German-speaking priest, the bishop immediately agreed to ordain him. St. John dedicated himself to visiting the sick, teaching catechism, and training teachers. Sometimes he would only eat bread or vegetables that his impoverished parishioners gave him.

Overworked and in poor health, he realized he needed community, so he took vows to enter the order of Redemptorists in Maryland, becoming the first Redemptorist to profess vows in the United States. Later, he served as the U.S. Provincial Superior of the order.

In 1852, Pope Pius IX appointed him as Bishop of Philadelphia. St. John Neumann soon encountered enormous challenges: large immigrant populations, widespread poverty, anti-Catholic prejudice, and the need to educate future generations in the Faith.

He established the first diocesan Catholic school system in the United States, increasing the number of parish schools from one to 200. He also promoted the Forty Hours Devotion, helped found religious congregations to assist in education and care for those in need, and visited his far-flung parishes on foot or by carriage.

As Bishop of Philadelphia, St. John was confronted by the Know-Nothings, an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic group. The stress, threats, and violence took a heavy toll on his health. Yet, St. John continued to write Catholic newspaper and magazine articles about the Faith and to increase the number of Catholic schools in immigrant communities.

On January 5, 1860, St. John Neumann collapsed and died at age 48 while he was attending to his daily tasks in Philadelphia. He was beatified in 1963 and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977.