John Neumann

John Neumann, C.Ss.R. ( born March 28, 1811 in Prachatitz; † January 5, 1860 in Philadelphia, (Pennsylvania, USA) ) was bishop of Philadelphia and is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.

Life

John Neumann was the son of of upper castle on Main ( Lower Franconia ) immigrant hosier Johann Philipp Neumann and Agnes Lebisch from Prachatitz. After attending grammar school in České Budějovice, he studied in Prague, philosophy, theology, mathematics, science and Latin. On November 1, 1831, he entered the seminary in Budweis.

Emigrant and missionary

Gradually matured in him the desire to work as a missionary in North America, in particular, to be ordained a priest as soon as possible. At that time there was in the Diocese of Budweis priest income, so that Neumann was not admitted after finishing his studies for the priesthood.

From Budweis he traveled 70 days to Paris, where he missed the pre-paid coach to Le Havre and went there on foot and embarked on 20 April 1836.

On 1 June 1836 he arrived in New York and received there almost four weeks later, on 25 June 1836 by Bishop John Dubois ordained priest. He then moved to Williamsville (north of Buffalo ), where he completed the church and founded his first Catholic school. The parish area had a circumference of 1450 square kilometers, which he wandered endlessly with a backpack. When he collapsed exhausted at Easter 1840, he was brought to rest in a Redemptorist.

On November 30, 1840 Neumann joined the Redemptorist. After he had professed in Baltimore, Maryland filed on 16 January 1842, he became pastor of St. Alphonsus. For the municipality in whose territory mostly lived German emigrants were ten outstations. Since 1843 the provincial council, he became in 1844 director of the Pittsburgh monastery and finally in 1846 as Vice- Provincial of the heads of all American branches of the Order. He published two catechisms and a Bible story.

Bishop of Philadelphia

On 1 February 1852 he was in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the pastoral care and because of his intellectual abilities of Pope Pius IX. appointed bishop of Philadelphia. The sacrament of Holy Orders # episcopate gave him the Archbishop of Baltimore, Francis Patrick Kenrick, on 28 March of the same year. Mitkonsekrator was the bishop of Hartford, Bernard O'Reilly. He was the youngest bishop of the United States until then. As bishop he chose the motto: Passio Christi Conforta me ( " Passion of Christ, strengthen me !"). In his only eight -year tenure, he began the construction of the Cathedral of Philadelphia and established a seminary. He founded more than 100 churches in his diocese and almost as many schools. Thus he laid the foundation stone for the church parish school system in America today.

As a bishop, John Neumann care especially to the poor and simple people. From my own experience, he knew that the crucial key is in a good education for the improvement of social classes.

After a trip to Rome in 1854, he visited his hometown in the Bohemian Forest, whose inhabitants gave him a resounding reception.

On January 5, 1860, only 1.60 meters tall man collapsed in the street and died on the same day. He was buried in the Redemptorist Church of Philadelphia. The beatification process was started in 1886 and completed on 13 October 1963 with the beatification. On 19 June 1977, John Neumann by Pope Paul VI. canonized.

Remembrance

• Catholic: January 5 Optional memorial in the regional calendar of the United States
• Since 2004, non- optional memorial in the regional calendar for the German -language area

Worship

The father of Bishop Neumann, Johann Philipp Neumann, was born on October 16, 1774 in Upper Castle on Main ( Lower Franconia / Bavaria / Germany ). He emigrated in 1802 after Prachatitz / Bohemia.

In Upper Castle / Main, the lower church dedicated to his name. Two glass window there show stages of life of Bishop John Neumann. After the bishop named the Bishop - Neumann -Schule in Königstein im Taunus.

U.S. President Barack Obama gave as a gift during his visit in July 2009 at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI. a stole of the holy Bishop Neumann. Benedict returned the favor with a special edition of his book social encyclical Caritas in Veritate.