Known as the "Little Bishop," this man helped found the first Italian American Catholic parish. Who was he?

Home Blogs Question of the Week Known as the "Little Bishop," this man helped found the first Italian American Catholic parish. Who was he?

Known as the "Little Bishop," this man helped found the first Italian American Catholic parish. Who was he?

2015-09-22 12:31

Answer: St. John Neumann

John Neumann was born in Bohemia (now part of thedigit Czech Republic) in 1811. When he graduated from his religious studies in the 1830s, he sought to be ordained in his home country. When that proved impossible due to a glut of priests in the country, Neumann immigrated to the United States.

He received his first job after being ordained in New York City in 1836 as a priest at church in Williamsville, Erie County, New York. There he oversaw a large parish that encompassed Western New York from the Pennsylvania border up to Lake Ontario. In the 1840s, Neumann joined the Redemptorists, a Catholic missionary society, and he moved to serve in churches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland. In 1852, he was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia. Among his accomplishments in Philadelphia were the establishment of the first diocesan school system in the country and he helped support the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. Neumann died in the city on January 5, 1860.

In 1977, Pope Paul VI canonized Neumann. He had been laid to rest in at St. Peter the Apostle on North 5th Street in Philadelphia, and after his canonization, a shrine was erected for him at the church. The National Shrine of Saint John Neumann at St. Peter the Apostle was recently renovated and is open for visitors.

HSP's library houses a few different publications related to St. John Neumann, his history and his shrine, as well as items pertaining to another Philadelphia saint, St. Katherine Drexel. Additionally, patrons may also find here information about local shrines, such the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown and the National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia in Philadelphia.

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