St. John Neumann

Q: What is St. John Neumann the patron saint of?

St. John Neumann is the patron saint of educators, teachers, sick children and immigrants.

Q: What is St. John Neumann known for?

St. John Neumann was a leader in the Roman Catholic parochial school system and the first ecclesiastic to organize a diocesan school system in the United States . He was the first male U.S. citizen to be canonized as a Catholic saint .

Q: What was the miracle of St. John Neumann?

In 1923 an 11-year-old girl was cured of terminal peritonitis after praying to St. John Neumann (1811–60) for his intercession. A second miracle was confirmed by the Roman Catholic Church after the recovery in 1963 of a young man suffering from terminal bone cancer . He had visited Neumann’s tomb in Philadelphia , where he came into contact with a relic of the bishop . The healing of a 19-year-old man in Philadelphia who was severely injured in an automobile accident (1949) is also credited to Neumann’s intercession; the man’s recovery was said to have occurred after a portion of Neumann’s cassock was placed upon him.

Q: What religious congregation did St. John Neumann join?

St. John Neumann joined the Redemptorist , a Roman Catholic religious order , in 1840. He was the first member of the order to profess vows in the United States .

Q: What role did St. John Neumann have in Philadelphia?

St. John Neumann was named bishop of Philadelphia by Pope Pius IX in 1852.

American bishop

Also known as: Saint John Nepomucene Neumann

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History

What is St. John Neumann the patron saint of?

What is St. John Neumann known for?

What was the miracle of St. John Neumann?

What religious congregation did St. John Neumann join?

What role did St. John Neumann have in Philadelphia?

St. John Neumann (born March 28, 1811, Prachatice, Bohemia [now in Czech Republic]—died January 5, 1860, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; canonized June 19, 1977; feast day January 5) was the bishop of Philadelphia and a leader in the Roman Catholic parochial school system in the United States. Born in what is now the Czech Republic, he emigrated and became the first male U.S. citizen to be canonized. He is venerated as a patron saint of teachers, educators, sick children, and immigrants.

After studies at the University of Prague, Neumann’s interest in missions in the United States took him to New York, where he was ordained a priest in 1836. In 1840 he joined the Redemptorists, a religious congregation dedicated to parish and foreign missions, and he later became superior of all Redemptorists in the United States. In 1852 Pope Pius IX named him bishop of Philadelphia.

Neumann spent the rest of his life building churches, schools, and asylums for his diocese. He was devoted to education and was the first ecclesiastic to organize a diocesan school system in the United States He was the first American bishop to be beatified, and he was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977.