John Neumann
Czech christian missionary and saint (1811–1860)
Feast: 5 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Jan Nepomuk Neumann was born at Prachatice, Bohemia, on 28 March 1811 and studied at České Budějovice and Prague. His ordination deferred because there were too many candidates, he joined a mission project for America and sailed, poor and alone, for New York, where Bishop Dubois ordained him on 25 June 1836.
He became a Redemptorist, the first Redemptorist parish priest in America, at St Alphonsus in Baltimore. As Bishop of Philadelphia he helped immigrants driven by poverty with material means, counsel and charity, and took great care over the Christian education of children.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
An immigrant bishop who spent himself for immigrants and the schooling of their children.
Connected on this site
- Frederic Baraga Servant of God“Baraga's letters about his missionary work were published widely in Europe, inspiring the priests John Neumann and Francis Xavier Pierz to emigrate to the United States.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Giovanni Nepomuceno Neumann
- Wikidata Q558256 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — John Neumann (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.