St. John Neumann
1811 - 1860
This American saint was born in Bohemia in 1811. He was looking forward to being ordained in 1835 when the bishop decided there would be no more ordinations. It is difficult for us to imagine now, but Bohemia was overstocked with priests. John wrote to bishops all over Europe but the story was the same everywhere no one wanted any more priests. John was sure he was called to be a priest but all the doors to follow that vocation seemed to close in his face.
But John didn't give up. He had learned English by working in a factory with English-speaking workers so he wrote to the bishops in America. Finally, the bishop in New York agreed to ordain him. In order to follow God's call to the priesthood John would have to leave his home forever and travel across the ocean to a new and rugged land.
In New York, John was one of 36 priests for 200,000 Catholics. John's parish in western New York stretched from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. His church had no steeple or floor but that didn't matter because John spent most of his time traveling from village to village, climbing mountains to visit the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and celebrating the Mass at kitchen tables.
Because of the work and the isolation of his parish, John longed for community and so joined the Redemptorists, a congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to helping the poor and most abandoned.
John was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. As bishop, he was the first to organize a diocesan Catholic school system. A founder of Catholic education in this country, he increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from two to 100.
John never lost his love and concern for the people -- something that may have bothered the elite of Philadelphia. On one visit to a rural parish, the parish priest picked him up in a manure wagon. Seated on a plank stretched over the wagon's contents, John joked, "Have you ever seen such an entourage for a bishop!"
The ability to learn languages that had brought him to America led him to learn Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch so he could hear confessions in at least six languages. When Irish immigration started, he learned Gaelic so well that one Irish woman remarked, "Isn't it grand that we have an Irish bishop!"
Once on a visit to Germany, he came back to the house he was staying in soaked by rain. When his host suggested he change his shoes, John remarked, "The only way I could change my shoes is by putting the left one on the right foot and the right one on the left foot. This is the only pair I own."
John died on January 5, 1860 at the age of 48.
In His Footsteps:John was a Redemptorist priest. To learn more about the Redemptorists visit the Web site for Redemptorist Publications in England, www.redempt.org.
Prayer:Saint John Neumann, you helped organize Catholic education in the United States. Please watch over all Catholic schools and help them be a model of Christianity in their actions as well as their words. Amen
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Dear St John; Please help my dear departed son, Luke, to further do the will of God in his death.As you have said, "No life is thrown away. God knows what He is about."
dear st john neumann i need healing im in poor health come visit me heal me through our lord jesus and the heavenly father the holy spirit with the virgin mary come to my aid i beg of you amen and amen
St. John Neuman, please continue to pray for us, who strive to grow in faith against the many temptations, which confront us.
Dear Saint,
Kindly shower me with the same zeal that you had to serve Christ. Strengthen me so that I bear witness to Christ wherever I am. Amen.
happy feast day St. John Neumann. we love you and thank you for being our friend
what a similar story of saint john with my to be a priest
St.John Neumann great saint you never gave up god bless you
please watch over me and my family help me please till be like you and never gave up
sometimes its hard when people a round me dont help and only keep put me down
god bless
Amen
5th jan 2013:st john neumann cssr bishop pray for us!
Dear St. John Neumann,
When we look at your Holy Picture, we feel drawn to your holiness, the divine magnetic power keeps attracting towards your Saintly life with tremendous love for Christ, faith in Christ and to love people as Jesus loves us. All my family members and I love you, help us all to love Jesus as you loved.
My prayer to to plead Jesus, our Lord and God to pour His mighty Holy Spirit on each members of our family and on all those who've asked to pray, to whom we've promised to pray & those in need of our prayers, Forgive us, purify us, convert & transform us, bless & heal us, strengthen & anoint us all to live every moment of our lives for the Glory of God and serving the humanity as Jesus wants us. Heal, bless all those whom we have hurt & caused pain. Please help 3 people to come back to Jesus, to participate in the Holy Eucharistic Mass & to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist with great love. Good job for 3.
Gift of a child to a couple who're praying with a bleeding heart.Healing of lung infection to GF.
Dear St John, deep in my heart I believe, you 've already handed over my prayers to Jesus. THANK YOU!
Dear St John please pray for me Kathleen, my family members: George Kisagloo and Thia Pearsal, you know what our miracle is we are in need of, thank you
please do keep my mum in prayers, she lost alot of her eye sight, I deeply do believe that St. John Neumann was gifted with the gift of healing. so join me with prayers please.
Thanks abutch for school every week we do saint cards and this time i only had to use the fun fact box! Thank you so much!!!!!!! I luv this web site!!!
Dear St. John Neuman, Please pray for me.
Very inspiring story as well as Elizabeth Ann Seton´s story...in a way they are similiar. St. Elizabeth Ann and St. John Neumann, pray for all the staff that work in every Catholic school, pray that the Holy Spirit is always with us enlightening our hearts and minds..you are such a great example of love and hard work...thanks, dear Lord, for sending such good persons to inspire so many people.
I love you St. John Neumann! Please pray for us!+
What a great Bishop !! We need more like him today. What an example for Priests. Dear Saint, please pray for us.
St. John Neumann is a very dear and special Saint for me. His life story is so wonderful and full of self sacrifice. He was always concerned with the holy will and work of God and serving God's people. I knew nothing of Saint John Neumann until a 3rd class relic of Bishop St. John Neumann turned up in my home 20 years ago. The relic contains a tiny piece of square cloth enclosed in a casing. Above the enclosed cloth is the name, Bishop John Neumann and a picture engravment of St. John Neumann, with an egravement of the Church of Philadelphia in the background. I have no idea where the relic came from but I am lovingly and reverently caring for it. The only explanation I could think of for how the relic came to be in my home is that one of my children's Religious education teachers might have given out the 3rd class relics to some of the children before their Confirmation as a gift. But I had not been told that was the case and I feel that if an adult wanted to give a young person a relic they would inform the parents. Regardless of how I came to acquire the relic, I feel a close connection with this Good Saint and especially on his Feast day, January 5th I pray for his intercession. I would love to visit his shrine some day. St. John Neumann, Pray for us. St. John Neumann, we love you. Sincerely, Susan, SFO
I believe we need more John Newmans, our Catholic eduaction system requires a big shake and I hope and pray God sends us more saints as St. Jhon Newman
St. John Neumann, your feastday follows that of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Like her you established Catholic Schools in the United States. It is impossible to imagine that you were rejected from the priesthood in Bohemia. Yet that rejection led you to much greater heights, as God had planned a place for you in the US. Dear St. John Neumann pray for the preservation of Catholic schools in my motherland. Protect it from all dangers. The most recent one that I know of is the appointment of a Muslim head of School. This outrageous plan was thawarted by public outcry and we managed to get a devout Catholic to head the Convent school. We pray for your constant protection of Catholic schools all over the country. Amen
I am one of the newest members of the Parish at the St. John Neumann Catholic Church in N
N. Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a Most Vibrant and Inspirational Church, thanks to it's Pastor, a Father Bede Wevita, his awesome staff of workers and volunteers, and I am sure the heavenly guidance of St. John Neumann himself. God Bless You and Yours & Enjoy the remainder of this wonderful Christmas Season.