John Neumann was born March 28, 1811, in Prachatitz, Bohemia. He was baptized that same day and given the name of the patron saint of Bohemia, John Nepomucene. He was educated in the nearby city of Budweis where he became an outstanding student. It was there that he experienced his call to the priesthood. He completed his theological studies at the seminary in Prague.

In 1835 his class was informed that there would be no ordinations that year. His diocese had more priests than it needed, and ordinations were postponed indefinitely. He decided to go to the New World, America.

Neumann was unimposing man. No one even noticed that he had stepped off the gangplank of the Europa and onto the wharf. Five foot two, a shabby overcoat, and well-worn shoes: just another immigrant to New York in 1836. Trained to be a priest in a diocese that already had too many priests, John Neumann had come to the New World to find a bishop who would ordain him. Strong in his faith and hope, he was sure that God was calling him to care for his people.

When he steeped ashore that day, he had no idea what the future held for him. However, he soon found Bishop Dubois of New York who warmly accepted him into his diocese. He was ordained June 25, 1836, and immediately assigned to a parish. He was responsible for an area of over nine hundred square miles in western New York State, stretching from Lake Ontario down to the Pennsylvania state line.

His parishioners spoke many languages and included the Tuscarora and Seneca Indian tribes. For four years he served that vast area, saying Mass in farm kitchens, schools, and makeshift chapels. He was baptized, instructed, witnessed marriages, taught reading, writing, and religion in a school he himself had built. He looked after the needs of the sick and the dying.

During this time, Neumann met a group of religious missionaries called Redemptorists. He was deeply impressed by their dedication in preaching missions to the most abandoned and to those most in need of spiritual help.

In 1841, he applied to join the community and was accepted as a novice, the first in the New World. Because of the extreme needs of that time, he was moved from place to place. He spent his novitiate in eight different locations, every day being occupied saying parish Masses, hearing confessions, giving instructions, counseling, and administering the sacraments of the Church. He also traveled some three thousand miles in that time, tedious travel in those pioneer days. In January 1842, he professed vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience as a Redemptorist. He was the first Redemptorist professed in America.

There is a saying: "Saints are ordinary people who do ordinary things extraordinarily well." John Neumann was that type of person. His dedication to the poor, to the sick, and to the spiritually needy was extraordinary. He loved his work as a parish priest. In 1847 he was appointed vice-provincial of the Redemptorists in the United States. Three years later he returned to parish ministry. He could not have been happier. He did not desire the role of leadership.

Then in 1852 Pope Pius IX appointed John Neumann to become Bishop of Philadelphia. With the appointment came a direct order from the Holy Father to accept the honor and the burden. Pope Pius IX knew his man well and wanted to forestall any refusal of the appointment.

As Bishop of Philadelphia he continued his missionary work along with the duties of leading the largest Catholic diocese in America at that time. He established a Catholic parochial school system that grew from two to nearly one hundred schools, enrolling over nine thousand children. He composed catechisms for the instruction of the children. He popularized Eucharistic devotion through a diocesan "Forty Hours" program. Visiting all the parishes in his diocese, he was available and dedicated to hearing confessions. He spoke eight languages and could understand a few more. He was known everywhere for complete dedication to his people.