Our Patron Saint

The following are excerpts from the Life of Saint John Neumann, a Web site dedicated to telling his story.

St. John Neumann

“He (St. John Neumann) was ordained in June 1836 by Bishop John Dubois at old St. Patrick Cathedral on Mott Street, New York City. The following week he was pastor of the whole Niagara Frontier, some hundred square miles of swampy primeval forest. Many German immigrants had settled this sector of the diocese and were in danger of losing the Faith. It was for this reason that Father Neumann was sent there. He built churches, raised log schools where possible and even taught the three Rs himself to the German and Irish children.

“Among the shepherds of the flock in Philadelphia,” wrote the late Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the diocese, “the figure of Venerable John Neumann is pre-eminent. It was mainly through his prodigious efforts that a Catholic school system came into being and that parochial schools began to rise across the land. His holy life, his childlike gentleness, his hard labor and his tremendous foresight is still fresh and green among you. The tree planted and watered by Bishop Neumann now gives you its fruit.” ~ James J. Galvin C.Ss.R.

“Bishop Neumann lays several claims to fame in Philadelphia and the United States. Ever a humble and self-effacing person, he would be the last one to mention it himself, but the records stand. It was he who organized the first diocesan schedule of the Forty Hours’ Devotion in America. The credit is likewise his of establishing the first system of parochial schools in various parts of the country when Neumann came to Philadelphia — but the first unified system of Catholic schools under a diocesan board. This he did in May 1852, a fortnight before the Plenary Council at Baltimore, which seconded his proposals.”