Neumann Year begins Wednesday (200th anniversary of the birth of St. John Neumann) (Catholic Caucus)

Every year on January 5, the Church in the United States celebrates the feast of St. John Neumann, the first male American saint, a Redemptorist, and the fourth bishop of Philadelphia.

This year's celebrations, however, will be particularly festive as the Redemptorists open the Neumann Year, marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of this great saint. Neumann's 200th birthday is actually March 28, 2011.

Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali will celebrate the 12:15 p.m. Mass Wednesday at St. Peter's Church/Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia. Neumann's body rests in a glass reliquary underneath the shrine's altar.

In Baltimore, special Masses will be celebrated at 7 a.m and 12:15 p.m. at St. Alphonsus Church where Neumann spent several years as pastor and Redemptorist superior. The church was also the site of Neumann's consecration as a bishop in 1852.

St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia will host a second feast day Mass January 9 at 3:30 p.m. in the upper church. Music will be provided by the Archdiocesan Boys Choir, and Redemptorist Father Richard Boever, a Neumann expert, will be the homilist.

A blessing with a relic of St. John Neumann will be offered after all the feast day Masses in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

For more information about the Neumann Year or to find out how you can join in the celebration, visit redemptorists.net/neumann.

From Redemptorists celebrate 200th birthday of St. John Neumann:

In 1836, a young seminarian named John Neumann arrived in the U.S. from his native Bohemia. He left his family in the dead of night to become a missionary in America. His one goal was to bring the love of God to forgotten and neglected souls.

He joined the Redemptorists in 1842, and in 1852, at the age of 41, he was named the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. In the eight short years before his death, Neumann built almost 90 churches, founded the nation’s parochial school system, established several religious orders, and defended the Catholic faith in a hostile climate.

On January 5, 2011, the feast of St. John Neumann, the Redemptorists will open the Neumann Year, which will end on June 23, 2012. Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali will celebrate the opening Mass on the feast day at the saint’s shrine in St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia. A parish-wide celebration will be held January 9, 2011.

Several events are planned throughout the Neumann Year to share with the world his message of faith, education, and charity. Some activities include monthly Saturday retreats at the Shrine of St. John Neumann, special parish missions and evenings of recollection preached by Redemptorist missionaries in parishes throughout the East Coast, and an essay contest for Catholic middle- and high-school students....

“St. John Neumann lived in an age of fierce anti-Catholicism; today, we face a spirit-sapping secularism. Educating our young people is a great challenge for us today as it was for the founder of the parochial school system,” Woods said.

During the Neumann Year, the Redemptorists especially encourage pilgrimages to the Shrine of St. John Neumann. The Shrine includes the body of St. John Neumann, as well as several relics and artifacts.

"The Shrine is a place of serenity, a place of holiness, and a place where St. John Neumann, in his love and dedication for people of all nationalities, races, and even religions, still intercedes and blesses God's people,” said Very Rev. Kevin Moley, pastor of St. Peter’s Church and director of the Shrine of St. John Neumann. “God still uses one of his humble servants in so many miraculous ways. We are very blessed in having with us this great Redemptorist, Bishop, and Saint.”

“God has given the Church and the Baltimore Province a great gift in St. John Neumann,” said Father Woods. “Let the coming year be a Jubilee Year of Grace as we come to know more deeply St. John Neumann, his love of God and the Blessed Mother, and his untiring zeal for the poor.”

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.