St John Neumann, Bishop of Philadelphia
In just eight years as Bishop of Philadelphia, he increased the number of parochial schools from two to over 100, oversaw the building of 50 new churches, and founded a preparatory seminary. He also wrote two catechisms, a bible history, and several pastoral letters.
He was born in Bohemia in 1811 and could speak eight languages and several Slavic dialects. In 1835, he immigrated to New York after completing his seminary training in Prague, and Bishop John Dubois, in 1836, ordained him into the priesthood. He was then sent on a mission to Western New York and joined the Redemptorists. He later became the Superior of all Redemptorists in the US. In 1852, he was named the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. His entire life as a priest and a bishop was dedicated to the service of others. He preached frequently, heard confessions, and went on many sick calls. He died in 1860, collapsing on the street from exhaustion, and was canonized a saint in 1977 by Pope Paul VI. St. John Neumann is remembered as the patron saint of sick children and immigrants.
While John Neumann and his father thought he’d become a physician, his mother, knowing of her son’s true calling, encouraged him to pursue his desire to become a priest. Today, the United States desperately needs more priests, and we, as laypeople, are now called upon to encourage young men we know to consider taking this step to serve God and the Church in our country.
Source: United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, USCCB, Washington DC. 2020 pp. 261-262.
