St. John Neumann
Patron Saint of Catholic Education
St. John Neumann was born in Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic. The young John was certain of his call to the priesthood; however, in 1835 the bishops decided to not ordain any new priests because Bohemia had a surplus of priests. John learned English and sent a letter to the American bishops. Finally, the bishop of New York, John Dubois, agreed to ordain John, who became one of thirty-six priests for 200,000 Catholics in New York. In 1852, John was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia. John was the first ecclesiastic to organize a diocesan school system. He dedicated his life to the building of schools, churches, and orphanages. He continued to learn languages while in America so that he could hear the confessions of all his parishioners.
Catholic Apostolate Center Blog Post on St. John Neumann
Pilgrimage Site in the United States
National Shrine of St. John Neumann — Philadelphia, PA