Roman Catholic Saint. On January 16, 1842, at the age of 30, he became the first Redemptorist to make his vows in America. He is known as the Father of the Catholic education system in the United States.
John Nepocemucene Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811. As a youth, he had a great desire toward a religious vocation in the priesthood. He completed his seminary studies in 1836, immigrated to the United States, and was ordained at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Diocese of New York.
His first pastoral assignment took him to the Niagara region of the state of New York. He served a group of small churches outside of Buffalo and spent every day walking, and sometimes running, from village to village: Williamsville, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, and East Aurora. 1842 found him working as a missionary and parish priest in Maryland and in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. 1852 resulted in a call to be the Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest diocese in the United States at the time.
Bishop Neumann spent his days building schools and establishing orders of nuns. He was occupied with ministering to the poor and those who needed him. John Neumann was a very small man, under five feet in height, and was called the "Little Bishop." In his 48 years of life, he managed to establish 80 churches and 10 orders of nuns.
While running an errand in Philadelphia, he collapsed and died of a stroke on January 5, 1860.
He was buried, unembalmed, in a wooden casket under the floor of St. Peter of the Apostle Church, a Redemptorist parish. The grave was lined with bricks. In spite of the wet conditions in the grave, his remains were intact when exhumed in 1902 for the required inspection for the canonization process. The body was reinterred in the same grave. In 1962, 102 years after his death, the Saint John Neumann National Shrine was constructed in the lower level (crypt) of Saint Peter of the Apostle Church. The body was again exhumed for the second stage of sainthood, (Beatification), then revested with a face mask, and the body deposited in a glass casket. The remains were then placed under the altar in the newly-constructed shrine. Pope Paul VI beatified him on October 13, 1963. When the third process for sainthood was completed, Pope Paul VI canonized him on June 19, 1977. In 1989, after more than 25 years since the body was placed in the glass casket, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia gave approval to renovate the Shrine Chapel, and to restore and place new vestments on the remains. Over the years, the old vestments had become stained and the face mask had yellowed and faded with age. The restoration was completed, and the body was returned to its place under the altar of the crypt of the newly-refurbished Saint John Neumann National Shrine.
John Nepocemucene Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811. As a youth, he had a great desire toward a religious vocation in the priesthood. He completed his seminary studies in 1836, immigrated to the United States, and was ordained at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Diocese of New York.
His first pastoral assignment took him to the Niagara region of the state of New York. He served a group of small churches outside of Buffalo and spent every day walking, and sometimes running, from village to village: Williamsville, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, and East Aurora. 1842 found him working as a missionary and parish priest in Maryland and in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. 1852 resulted in a call to be the Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest diocese in the United States at the time.
Bishop Neumann spent his days building schools and establishing orders of nuns. He was occupied with ministering to the poor and those who needed him. John Neumann was a very small man, under five feet in height, and was called the "Little Bishop." In his 48 years of life, he managed to establish 80 churches and 10 orders of nuns.
While running an errand in Philadelphia, he collapsed and died of a stroke on January 5, 1860.
He was buried, unembalmed, in a wooden casket under the floor of St. Peter of the Apostle Church, a Redemptorist parish. The grave was lined with bricks. In spite of the wet conditions in the grave, his remains were intact when exhumed in 1902 for the required inspection for the canonization process. The body was reinterred in the same grave. In 1962, 102 years after his death, the Saint John Neumann National Shrine was constructed in the lower level (crypt) of Saint Peter of the Apostle Church. The body was again exhumed for the second stage of sainthood, (Beatification), then revested with a face mask, and the body deposited in a glass casket. The remains were then placed under the altar in the newly-constructed shrine. Pope Paul VI beatified him on October 13, 1963. When the third process for sainthood was completed, Pope Paul VI canonized him on June 19, 1977. In 1989, after more than 25 years since the body was placed in the glass casket, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia gave approval to renovate the Shrine Chapel, and to restore and place new vestments on the remains. Over the years, the old vestments had become stained and the face mask had yellowed and faded with age. The restoration was completed, and the body was returned to its place under the altar of the crypt of the newly-refurbished Saint John Neumann National Shrine.
Roman Catholic Saint. On January 16, 1842, at the age of 30, he became the first Redemptorist to make his vows in America. He is known as the Father of the Catholic education system in the United States.
John Nepocemucene Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811. As a youth, he had a great desire toward a religious vocation in the priesthood. He completed his seminary studies in 1836, immigrated to the United States, and was ordained at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Diocese of New York.
His first pastoral assignment took him to the Niagara region of the state of New York. He served a group of small churches outside of Buffalo and spent every day walking, and sometimes running, from village to village: Williamsville, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, and East Aurora. 1842 found him working as a missionary and parish priest in Maryland and in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. 1852 resulted in a call to be the Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest diocese in the United States at the time.
Bishop Neumann spent his days building schools and establishing orders of nuns. He was occupied with ministering to the poor and those who needed him. John Neumann was a very small man, under five feet in height, and was called the "Little Bishop." In his 48 years of life, he managed to establish 80 churches and 10 orders of nuns.
While running an errand in Philadelphia, he collapsed and died of a stroke on January 5, 1860.
He was buried, unembalmed, in a wooden casket under the floor of St. Peter of the Apostle Church, a Redemptorist parish. The grave was lined with bricks. In spite of the wet conditions in the grave, his remains were intact when exhumed in 1902 for the required inspection for the canonization process. The body was reinterred in the same grave. In 1962, 102 years after his death, the Saint John Neumann National Shrine was constructed in the lower level (crypt) of Saint Peter of the Apostle Church. The body was again exhumed for the second stage of sainthood, (Beatification), then revested with a face mask, and the body deposited in a glass casket. The remains were then placed under the altar in the newly-constructed shrine. Pope Paul VI beatified him on October 13, 1963. When the third process for sainthood was completed, Pope Paul VI canonized him on June 19, 1977. In 1989, after more than 25 years since the body was placed in the glass casket, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia gave approval to renovate the Shrine Chapel, and to restore and place new vestments on the remains. Over the years, the old vestments had become stained and the face mask had yellowed and faded with age. The restoration was completed, and the body was returned to its place under the altar of the crypt of the newly-refurbished Saint John Neumann National Shrine.
John Nepocemucene Neumann was born in Bohemia in 1811. As a youth, he had a great desire toward a religious vocation in the priesthood. He completed his seminary studies in 1836, immigrated to the United States, and was ordained at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Diocese of New York.
His first pastoral assignment took him to the Niagara region of the state of New York. He served a group of small churches outside of Buffalo and spent every day walking, and sometimes running, from village to village: Williamsville, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, and East Aurora. 1842 found him working as a missionary and parish priest in Maryland and in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. 1852 resulted in a call to be the Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest diocese in the United States at the time.
Bishop Neumann spent his days building schools and establishing orders of nuns. He was occupied with ministering to the poor and those who needed him. John Neumann was a very small man, under five feet in height, and was called the "Little Bishop." In his 48 years of life, he managed to establish 80 churches and 10 orders of nuns.
While running an errand in Philadelphia, he collapsed and died of a stroke on January 5, 1860.
He was buried, unembalmed, in a wooden casket under the floor of St. Peter of the Apostle Church, a Redemptorist parish. The grave was lined with bricks. In spite of the wet conditions in the grave, his remains were intact when exhumed in 1902 for the required inspection for the canonization process. The body was reinterred in the same grave. In 1962, 102 years after his death, the Saint John Neumann National Shrine was constructed in the lower level (crypt) of Saint Peter of the Apostle Church. The body was again exhumed for the second stage of sainthood, (Beatification), then revested with a face mask, and the body deposited in a glass casket. The remains were then placed under the altar in the newly-constructed shrine. Pope Paul VI beatified him on October 13, 1963. When the third process for sainthood was completed, Pope Paul VI canonized him on June 19, 1977. In 1989, after more than 25 years since the body was placed in the glass casket, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia gave approval to renovate the Shrine Chapel, and to restore and place new vestments on the remains. Over the years, the old vestments had become stained and the face mask had yellowed and faded with age. The restoration was completed, and the body was returned to its place under the altar of the crypt of the newly-refurbished Saint John Neumann National Shrine.
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