We celebrate another wonderful Christmastide Saint today, St. John Neumann
Although he was born in Bohemia in 1811, in what is now the Czech Republic, John Neumann is celebrated as an American saint. After studying in Prague, John Neumann came to New York at the age of 25 and was ordained a priest just three weeks later. After several years of working among German speaking immigrants, he joined the Redemptorist community, the missionary community founded by St. Alphonsis Ligouri. As a gifted linguist who spoke 8 languages, he was a popular preacher among the many immigrant communities, in Maryland, Virginia, even here in Ohio.
By age 41 he had become the fourth bishop of Philadelphia where he organized the parochial schools there into a diocesan system.
Today’s opening prayer refers to three tasks accomplished by Saint John Neumann which we hope to accomplish by the help of his prayers. 1) To foster the Christian education of youth, 2) to strengthen the witness of brotherly love, and 3) to constantly increase the family of the Church.
Like Saint John Neumann, all of us are to foster the Christian education of youth. Almost 50,000 children in this diocese attend Catholic schools, and at least that same number are educated in parish PSR programs. But the number of children attending weekly Mass is abysmal. We face a very difficult battle in winning the hearts of these children away from the culture, and that is the task of every Catholic. If there is a young person in one’s family not going to Church, each of us should ask ourselves, “what can I do to get them to the altar?”
Secondly, we must give “the witness of brotherly love” (the phrase brotherly love is a reference to Philadelphia, by the way, Phila-delphia, which means brotherly love in Greek). Catholics are to witness “brotherly love”. Non-Catholics and weak-faithed Catholics should look at us and say in the words of Tertullian, “look how they love each other”. The brotherly love we have for each other, the charity, the kindness, the patience we have for each other is to attract others to our way of life—the way of Christ.
And the third task exemplified by John Neumann to increase the family of the Church. Again not just the work of priests, not just the work of bishops, but the work of the entire church, to continue to draw souls to Christ. And that is only possible, when WE have truly been drawn to Him, when we have allowed Christ to transform us by his grace, when the fruits of the Spirit are evidenced in our lives, when we are diligent about the spiritual welfare of others.
May Bishop Neumann, “renowned for his charity and pastoral service” spurn us on to holiness through the service of the Gospel of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
That all Christians may grow in charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in our midst.
For the lukewarm and for all who are searching and longing for Christ, may they find him through the holy witness of His Church.
Through the intercession of St. John Neumann, for the success of our Catholic schools, that young Catholic families may be centered on Christ, and that all Catholics may be diligent in our evangelizing mission.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all widows and widowers, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord
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