St. John Neumann Statue, Novena at Cathedral
to Foster Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament 

For Catholics, the Holy Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” 
Since the sixth century, every canonized saint and millions of devout people have given adoration to the Blessed Sacrament in Exposition outside of Mass, as an affirmation of our belief in the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist and as a source of spiritual renewal.

One saint who championed Eucharistic adoration and who once shepherded the faithful of Northeastern Pennsylvania was St. John Neumann (1811-1860). He served as the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia, from 1852 to 1860, when that diocese encompassed the churches which now comprise the Diocese of Scranton.
He is known as the priest who brought Forty Hours Devotion to America when he began it in Philadelphia in 1853. This devotion commemorates the time Our Lord spent in the tomb after His crucifixion.

Bishop Joseph F. Martino recently blessed a statue of St. John Neumann on the last day of the Annual Forty Hours Devotion held at St. Peter’s Cathedral, Aug. 3-5. The statue, a bronze likeness of the Czech-born saint revered for his “gentleness, hard labor and tremendous foresight,” stands in the Cathedral courtyard.

“St. John Neumann began the Forty Hours Devotion when his pastoral ministry was facing troubled times,” Bishop Martino told the faithful attending the Forty Hours devotion. “St. John Neumann loved coming here among the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania as their Bishop, to administer the sacraments, to hear confessions….By honoring St. John Neumann at the Cathedral we hope to foster devotion to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and increase the spiritual life of our people.” 

“It is very fitting that the Cathedral should honor St. John Neumann,” said Father Connor, who is also historian of this Diocese. “I have seen his signature written as the presiding Bishop in the (sacrament of) Confirmation ledgers in several area churches. He simply wrote JNN (John Nepomucene Neumann).”

St. Peter’s Cathedral will institute a perpetual weekly Novena to St. John Neumann every Friday, beginning tomorrow (Aug. 18). Prayers will be recited after the 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Masses, and at noon immediately before Benediction and the 12:10 p.m. liturgy. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held at the Cathedral every Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

“We urge as many faithful as possible to begin making this Novena to a saint who was once our Bishop, and especially to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the Diocese of Scranton,” said Father Connor.

Three special dimensions have reportedly surrounded devotion to the Blessed Sacrament: the protection from evil and temptation; reparation for our own sins and for the poor souls in Purgatory; and deliverance from political, material or spiritual calamities. Here the faithful implore our Lord to pour forth His abundant graces not only for themselves, but also for their neighbors; not only for their own personal needs, but also for those of the world.

At the time St. John Neumann introduced Forty Hours Devotion, a strong anti-Catholic sentiment plagued Philadelphia. Churches were burned. Some priests advised that the devotion would only expose the Blessed Sacrament to desecration.
St. John was left in a quandary until he heard His voice while praying: “…I shall pour out my grace in the Blessed Sacrament. Fear no profanation, hesitate no longer to carry out your design for my glory.” 

Born in 1811 in Czechoslovakia, John Neumann was looking forward to being ordained in 1835 but was refused. All of Europe was overstocked with priests. He wrote to the bishops in America. Finally, the bishop of New York agreed to ordain him. To follow God’s call, the future saint left his home, and traveled over an ocean to a rugged new land. He was ordained in St. Patrick’s “Old Cathedral,” at the corner of Mott and Pearl Streets near New York’s Lower East Side.

In New York, he was one of 36 priests for 200,000 Catholics. His parish stretched from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. He spent his time traveling from village to village, climbing mountains to visit the sick, staying in taverns to teach, and celebrating the Mass at kitchen tables. He was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852.

St. John never lost his love and concern for the people. He learned Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and Gaelic so he could hear confessions in at least six languages for those who “had no English,” up in the coal regions of 19th century Pennsylvania. 
He built 50 churches, opened 100 schools, wrote newspaper articles, two catechisms, and many works in German.

Immediately following his death in 1860, thousands of pilgrims came to visit his grave. His remains can now be visited at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, at the parish of Saint Peter the Apostle, 1019 North Fifth Street, (corner of Fifth and Gerard Avenue,) Philadelphia. His body is housed in a glass encasement beneath the altar in the lower church. The future Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine when he came to Philadelphia to attend the 41st Eucharistic Congress in 1976. 

In 1977, St. John Neumann was the first American male and the first American bishop to be canonized a saint.